


Here In Our Hell

by singeramg



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies), Thor (Movies) RPF, Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Abuse, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - High School, Child Abuse, F/M, Fear, Heavy Abuse, Heavy Angst, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Odin is disgusting, Odin's A+ Parenting, Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Triggers, Underage - Freeform, Verbal Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-27
Updated: 2015-06-18
Packaged: 2017-12-24 20:46:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 62,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/944468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/singeramg/pseuds/singeramg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU! High School! Loki Odinson and Darcy Lewis lived very different lives, Privileged vs. Poor. Both of them hiding dark secrets, living alone in crowds, and pushing everyone away.They never realized they were more alike then they thought, both of them living in Hell. "Can you fix something if your broken too?" " STRONG M. SEE INSIDE FOR ALL WARNINGS AND DETAILS!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. This is Hell

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.
> 
> **WARNING THIS STORY IS "M" FOR A REASON! IT CONTAINS VIOLENCE, INCEST, NON-CON AND REFERENCES TO DEPRESSION AND SUICIDE, AS WELL AS SEXUAL DEEDS AND REFERENCES TO SAID ACT. CONTAINS TRIGGERS.**
> 
> As for this story, this is something new that I will be working on when I'm not working on "All We Needed Was A Purpose" which for my readers of that story, don't worry I still have every intention on working on that story. This one was birthed from one hell of a writers block, so i hope it's some good.
> 
> *I made Thor only one year older than Loki and Darcy, for the sake of Loki, Darcy, and Thor being in the same high , the other Avengers will be making appearances in this story, but not right away. This is my first time writing something this dark, so I hope that you can connect with my characters, and please remember that my goal is not to offend anyone, but shed light on what really does happen, and encourage you to take a closer look at what's happening around you.*
> 
> I hope you like this story and PLEASE give some feedback because this is all new.
> 
> -Singeramg XOXO

Chapter 1: Here in our Hell

Darcy's Pov:

"Ouch"

It hurt to move. I really hope the bastard hasn't broken my ribs again. I pulled myself from the bed, my body aching from old and new injuries.

"Darcy get your ass up!"

I heard my father yell from the top of the stairs.

I had the wonderful pleasure of living in my family's basement. It had all the privacy a 16 year old girl could ask for, but it was also the bane of my existence. I've lost count of how many times I've hit the ground in this room, washed my own blood from the walls, and floors, how many times I'd been locked down here as a child before it actually became my room and I knew how to open the hatch to the outside. It's funny because now this room was my sanctuary in times of pure chaos upstairs, nobody ever really came down here, and I only bled if my father had thrown me down the steps. Case I point last night. I threw water on my face from the sink in the corner. My dad hated me, I was the child that was never supposed to come along. It was all my fault he was an Alcoholic who couldn't hold down a decent job long enough to give his family a fighting chance. It was all my fault that my mom worked two jobs and I worked after school just to keep this family afloat. He blamed me for all of that and usually took it out with violence, I grabbed a pair of jeans ,an oversized black, button down from my drawer and whatever else I needed and raced upstairs to take a shower to hopefully erase some of my aches and wash away all of the blood that had dried from wounds that happened last night.

The shower felt great on my battered skin, I wouldn't know the color of my skin if my dad ever aimed for my face. It was how he kept detection of the beatings low. I reached under the cabinets and behind all the cleaning supplies my family never touched I hid the aspirin. My dad liked to know I suffered after one of his beatings so I had learned to keep all my medical supplies well hidden and only to be used during times he couldn't punish me further. I took a sip of water from the sink and swallowed as quickly as I could manage, then I found myself staring at my reflection. I hated the girl in the mirror, she flinched at every raised voice, she shied away from all relationships because of fear they would hate her like her parents did, she felt like she didn't deserve to be loved, and if she did ever find someone crazy enough to love her, it would be like her dad all over again because that was the only love she knew. How could that be me? In my own head I was strong, why couldn't it translate into real strength. Yeah I could be sarcastic with the best of them, but you peel that away and I was nothing but a hollow shell.

"This is Hell."

I whispered to the dripping faucet and left to grab my stuff and leave for school...

Loki's Pov:

*5:30am*

Hands. Hands all over me, the more I pushed them away the more they grabbed at me. Weight was pressing down on me, the more I fought the heavier it got, the more painful it got. So I stopped fighting, that was when the real pain began...

I shot up straight in my large bed, the way too many pillows I had on my bed normally were scattered across my bed and on the floor. My heavy breathing told me I'd had another night-terror. I have them all the time, I figured it was a side effect of what I suppressed during my awake hours. I hated the nights when I dreamed of nightmares. It was like I could never escape from what I suffered during the time that I was awake. I found that the more I was forced to endure and more often I was forced to endure it, the more I nightmare about my real life horrors.

One attempt to move from the bed told me that I hadn't truly fallen asleep in my king sized bed, in my large room that over looked the west side gardens, that my mother loved to work in. No I fallen asleep in another place and been placed back in my room to give the illusion that I hadn't been defiled and my body subjected to things that nobody should be forced to do. Maybe it was a sense of loyalty or maybe it was because I didn't want to break my mom's heart, but I could never tell anyone. Not a soul of what I endure in the night hours at the hands of the man that had sired me, the unloved one. Fighting my way through the pain, gritting my teeth with every step I ran a hot bath for myself and took some aspirin to dull the stinging and aching pain left behind. I climbed in slowly, grateful to have my own bathroom as I felt those weak; traitor tears crawl from the corners of my eyes and down the edges of my face. I had time to do this seeing as I had awakened far too early for breakfast and to leave for school. No, I'd use this time to wallow in self-pity about the weak, useless, quim I was. Then afterwards I'd suck it all up and put on the face of a sarcastic, smooth talking, moody but brilliant boy I was to the world.

You wouldn't know by looking at our mansion with the 15 bedrooms, 18 and a half bathrooms, pool and pool house 6 car garage, greenhouse and a list full of other amenities I didn't care to think about right now, that inside was pure hell, at least for me. I valiantly put on a face to the public to hide the truth from my mother, my arrogant brother Thor and the entire world that Harold "Odin" Odinson Billionaire oil Barron, was a perverted and sick child molester and since Loki had turned 13 was a child rapist as well. I laid my head back on the tub.

"This is Hell."

I whispered to the empty bathroom...


	2. I've decided not to like you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy and Loki meet, but don't exactly want to get along...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty 'T' short of the language.

Chapter 2: Here in our Hell  
Darcy's Pov:  
I walked to school, my iPod jamming away in my ears. I had saved up what I could from my checks after helping the family and paying for lunch, I bought LaSalle (my iPod). This thing had gotten me through some tough times in my life and often helped my escape from what I was going through. My school was a typical high school. All clichés represented thoroughly, Jocks, Cheerleaders, Burnouts, Nerds, the drama club kids, the in-betweeners who kind of hung with anyone and everyone, and me. I was your average nobody, I could be on fire and everybody would keep walking by me not so much as to stare at the mess that was burning and falling to ash in front of their eyes. Of course teachers liked me, and that was because I didn't argue back, I did my homework and I didn't disrupt their classrooms with my cell phone or crying over how my latest boyfriend had dumped me. I could be counted on to know the right answer and get good grades. I wasn't really sure where my brain aspect came in, I mean my parents surely didn't have it, but I'm glad it kicked in for my generation. Junior year wasn't exciting at all in all everyone did was complain about how they weren't seniors yet. It was grating on my last nerve and we were only just beginning the second semester. I autopilot-ed my way to my first class, my volume up as high as it could go without killing my hearing and leaving me open for getting it taken because I couldn't hear the bell. I had memorized my new schedule so when I stepped inside I took a seat in the far back corner science classroom.  
A few moments later I heard the door to classroom open but I didn't look up from the book of Poetry I had borrowed from the library. I heard the student pull the chair back on the other side of the room and take a seat. The room was silent and when the five-minute bell rang as a warning to get to class students began to pile into the classroom. I scoffed at the mixture of students; most of them looked nervous to be in an AP Physics class and would most likely switch after a week. I was intrigued to see who would hang in there until the end. As usually everyone ignored my presence and that gave me ample time to observe, it was during that time I saw the other only person in the classroom who wasn't talking to somebody else. Loki Odinson. Out of all the people in the school to be sitting alone, I idly wondered why he was. I mean his brother was like the be all end all at the school. Surely he knew someone, then again I heard whispers from conversations that he didn't really tolerate anybody and hasn't done so since middle school. He was a chosen loner, and rule number one was to never mess with a chosen loner, it kind of went against your whole sense of survival instinct. We had been in the same group of students since middle school and since we came to high school I hadn't seen him around very many people. He was quiet, but not in a "Please, don't take my lunch money kinda way" it was more of "I've got 15 ways to light you on fire with my eyes, please don't fuck with me, and make me use them on you." type of quiet. In many ways he was the exact opposite of his brother Thor, the athletic dynamo that made sure the football team, track team and lacrosse teams all saw back to back consecutive championships for the last four years he'd been in school. It was clear though that Thor certainly lacked in the brain department, I swear he was so dumb sometimes that if you told the boy that math rules had changed and 4+4 now equaled 5 and you sounded believable enough he'd believe you and spread the news. Thor was also the type that every girl loved tall, brawny, blonde hair, crystal blue eyes, a large smile, large shoe size and rich. So of course every girl wanted to be with him, and if rumors were to be believed, he had indeed taken up quite a few up on offers to no strings attached sexual encounters. And for that I could be no further from being interested in him. Loki was a raven haired, emerald eyed masterpiece. Girls would go for him too if he were interested in them. He had a look that screamed "bad boy" and the mannerisms of a gentleman and he was rich. But he unlike his brother hadn't bothered with the heated looks passed to him and most eventually gave up on trying to snag the younger Odinson. If I had to ever choose (like I'd ever get that choice) I would go for Loki, simply because he seems to be smart.  
I was brought out of my internal rambling by the teacher entering the room. Mr. Randall was a no-nonsense type of teacher, what he says goes, and if you don't like it you can leave. I didn't mind because he wasn't mean to me or anything and as long as I do my work he's cool.  
"I hope you all aren't too comfortable because after I give you this quiz that will be graded as such, I will be assigning you your partners for the rest of the year."  
Majority of the class groaned while I stayed silent and waited for the papers to be handed back to me while I put my IPod away.  
*15 minutes later*  
That quiz was easy. If you couldn't answer those questions then you had no business in this class in the first place. I sat my finished test on the desk on top of Loki's who was the only one done so far. Said person was reading over something while he waited, and I returned to my seat to read more of my own book…  
*20 more minutes later*  
The class was finished with the test and Mr. Randall sat quietly at his desk grading them quickly and efficiently with a few pre-made answer sheets. The class chattered around until he stood and cleared his throat papers in hand.  
"I must say I am impressed with some of you. You can answer the most basic of questions which means I'm not starting from scratch for most of you. I will admit that these tests were not for my grade book, for participation yes, but otherwise I had another agenda. These were so that I can assign your partners. I have assigned you with someone who I feel is your equivalent for this class and together you will pass or fail. So gather your things and once I am finished name off partners move to your appropriate person.  
I rolled my eyes, great. Now I would be forced to interact with someone. At least before there was a high possibility that whoever he put me with could drop, but this new method meant that if they were on my level they were less likely to drop, and those who would drop would drop as pairs more likely than not. Damn him. I listened for my name  
"...And last but not least Darcy Lewis and Loki Odinson. Please find your partners and once you've settled I'll be handing back your quizzes and syllabus for the semester."  
My breath caught in the back of my throat. I had to work with Loki? I looked up and found myself making direct contact with him. He stood bringing his bag along to take the empty seat next to me.  
"I don't believe we have met before Darcy, but I will inform you that you will not bring down my grade point average with you idiocies and childish antics. I will make it easy on you and do the work you just don't be a distraction, and try to earn your keep by passing your tests."  
While his words were nothing compared to the rantings of my father, Loki had proved why people didn't talk to him. He was a fucking asshole. His smirk at my face of disbelief caused him to smirk at me, and then he spoke.  
"It seems we have an understanding..."  
"Excuse me but who keeled over and made you king. I hate to be the one to give you a reality check, but you don't run shit I suggest you learn to treat me with some respect. If you do that then I will do the same for you. And as for bringing down your grade point average let me remind you Mr. Randall said we were matched based off of test scores so that means that if you did so good like you claim and like I know I did then we are both smart enough to pass without you doing all of the work. So I will be doing my share, because I never leave my fate in someone else's hands. Got it Odinson?"  
I reamed him so hard he wasn't sure what just happened. His mouth remained open until his eyes turned to mine burning bright green. I had to admit they would have been quite pretty if they weren't trying to mentally light me on fire, and with the high function of this boys brain I was lucky this wasn't turning into a telekinetic moment between the two of us.  
"You think..."  
He words were cut off when Mr. Randall came over grinning and sitting the two papers down.  
"Great job you two. You two are the highest scorers on the quiz. I've given you each an extra point in participation. I think this pairing will work out well."  
I held back a glare in Loki's direction and nodded at our teacher. He walked away from the two of us and I reached for the two papers and before I could pick them up Loki snatched them into his hands.  
"And here I was thinking politeness was a dying art."  
I rolled my eyes and sat back in my seat. He would have to give me my paper eventually.  
"No fucking way."  
Loki practically yelled, and I smirked. He honestly thought I was stupid.  
"What's the matter with you?"  
"There's no way you did better than me!"  
I sat up straighter and I looked at the papers from his hands and at the kicked puppy look on his face I busted out laughing.  
"Looks like someone might want to study a little harder mmm…"  
At my words he glared so hard I thought he was going to pop a blood vessel. Maybe this would not to open his mouth before he had facts.  
He sat stewing the whole remaining class time and giving me immense pleasure. As soon as the bell rang Loki took both papers to the teacher's desk.  
"Surely Mr. Randall there has been some mistake."  
Mr. Randall removed the square rimmed glasses from his face, a look of mirth in his eyes. I leaned back against a table to see how this would play out.  
"And what do you mean by that Loki?"  
"I just meant maybe you had possibly mis-marked the quizzes resulting in a higher grade for her than I. A simple mistake really, but I would really love to have to correct comparison."  
Loki spoke in a honey'd voice. I wondered how much trouble that voice had gotten him out of in the past. Mr. Randall laughed slightly and took the papers from Loki.  
"I'll be happy to check these right now, but assure you these are accurate."  
Loki smirked as he thought he had won. It really didn't matter to me, I knew I was sure of my answers and that was all that mattered. Mr. Randall wasted no time hand checking the answers and after the bell rang for the next class to start he wrote something on Loki's paper and handed it back, handing mine back as well. My score didn't change and Mr. Randall spoke just as Loki's eyes were about to pop out his head.  
"I stand corrected Mr. Odinson. You actually answered two questions wrong. I'm my haste to grade I missed your wrong answer it was inches in Cm by the millisecond. You had the wrong measuring, simple mistake. Maybe next time you should slow down and double-check your answers. Being the first one done is not as important as having the correct answer."  
It took everything in me not to laugh my ass off again.  
"Now if that is all, I will write you a pass to your next classes. Where are you going?"  
"AP Composition, Brennan."  
We both said at the same time, causing our heads to snap toward each other.  
"Great you two can share a pass."  
He handed me the colored paper and sent us out where I started snickering at his face that was glaring in anger again.  
I heard Mr. Randall say  
"Oh this will be an interesting semester indeed..."  
Loki's Pov:  
I had no interest in going to school today. New classes, new teachers, different idiots to avoid. I'd grown accustomed to certain people this school year, and now it was time to do it all over again. I pulled my all black mustang convertible into a shaded parking spot, and put up the top. I gathered my books and got out the car. I was immediately greeted with the sight of Thor and his barbarian friends surrounding Thor and his red hummer. I did my best to ignore the loud horseplay and giggling of the girls that had pledged their undying love of my brother. His closest friends stuck to him like glue even going as far with the name play to be Sif and the warriors three-the only one who happened to have the same name as one of the warriors was Hogun a military import, who had been quiet until football season came around, officially inducting him into jock-dom. The others real names were Sarah (Sif), Freddy (Fanderal), and Brian (Volstagg). It was no secret that the warriors tolerated me for Thor's sake, but to them I was like the bubble gum you could never quite get off your shoe after you've stepped on it. Not that it bothered me what they thought, I had much bigger issues then to worry about whether or not Thor's sac chasers liked me of their own accord. It would be a cold day in hell before I allowed myself to require their acceptance. Thor saw me and smiled waving as he shoved a whole poptart in his mouth like he hadn't eaten a full stack of pancakes, a half pound of bacon, and eggs and three glasses of orange juice less than 10 minutes ago at home. It was truly disgusting, and you wouldn't ever know he could win eating contest against starved sumo wrestlers by the physical appearance. I looked at him disgustedly and walked to my first class...  
I walked in the science classroom knowing I'd be the first inside only to see I was wrong. In the seat I normally chose for all my classes sat a small girl, thick dark hair that covered most of her features as she peered down at the book in front of her, and listened to music from the outdated technology in her hand. Slightly annoyed I ignored the situation and took the other seat in the far back, in the other corner and pulled out a book of my own. The room was silent as the two of us sat ignoring each other's presence, soon it was time for the class to start and the room was filled with chatty students, finding someone they knew to talk to. The teacher came I'm the room effectively ending all conversation with his no-nonsense tone.  
"I hope you all aren't too comfortable because after I give you this quiz that will be graded as such, I will be assigning you your partners for the rest of the year."  
The class had collectively groaned at the word quiz. The idiots should have known an A.P. physics teacher would give a quiz out the first day. He had to make sure they weren't all lost causes like I knew them all to be. I hope whomever he put me with would drop and leave me without a partner...  
*40 minutes later*  
That test was hilariously easy, if you couldn't answer those questions before coming to the second half of an AP physics class then the school system has failed you miserably. I had been the first one done so I resumed my readings and waited. Mr. Randall proceeded to grade the quizzes we just took, and most of the class chattered around the room until he gathered our papers and stood up.  
"I must say I am impressed with some of you. You can answer the most basic of questions which means I'm not starting from scratch for most of you. I will admit that these tests were not for my grade book, for participation yes, but otherwise I had another agenda. These were so that I can assign your partners. I have assigned you with someone who I feel is your equivalent for this class and together you will pass or fail. So gather your things and once I am finished name off partners move to your appropriate person.  
I internally scoffed this new partnering system. It was still highly likely that my partner would drop because I don't have an equal in anything. Why couldn't this day be over already? I just wanted to go home and hide myself away. My body needed rest and it's always great to scream out when no one is home.  
"...And last but not least Darcy Lewis and Loki Odinson. Please find your partners and once you've settled I'll be handing back your quizzes and syllabi for the semester."  
Who is Darcy Lewis? The name struck familiarity, but I'm sure I've only heard it in passing. Chairs scraped across the linoleum tile and people moved to be with their partners. I began to look around the room until my eyes landed on the small girl from earlier, her eyes staring at me from across the room. She must be Darcy Lewis then. I packed my things away and moved to the other seat at the table I'd wanted from the beginning.  
"I don't believe we have met before Darcy, but I will inform you that you will not bring down my grade point average with you idiocies and childish antics. I will make it easy on you and do the work you just don't be a distraction, and try to earn you keep by passing your tests."  
I said to her, she would need to know her standing before we ever got started. I would not have her fucking up my chance to get as far away from that bastard as possible when it came time for college.  
"It seems we have an understanding..."  
I smirked at her until I saw her eyes flash with anger.  
"Excuse me but who keeled over and made you king. I hate to be the one to give you a reality check, but you don't run shit I suggest you learn to treat me with some respect. If you do that then I will do the same for you. And as for bringing down your grade point average let me remind you Mr. Randall said we were matched based off of test scores so that means that if you did so good like you claim and like I know I did then we are both smart enough to pass without you doing all of the work. So I will be doing my share, because I never leave my fate in someone else's hands. Got it Odinson?"  
My mouth dropped open, something I never did seeing as for me nothing ever pleasant comes from having an open mouth. She had honestly just told me off. Maybe there was more to the little dormouse than I thought. Her pride may be more of a problem then I thought, now she would try to do work only to fail miserably and make me do extra work trying to fix whatever she fucks up. Great.  
I was about to set the record straight when Mr. Randall got back to our table, sitting our papers face down on the table.  
"Great job you two. You two are the highest scorers on the quiz. I've given you each an extra point in participation. I think this pairing will work out well."  
I held my tongue despite wanting to tell him to find me a new partner. I didn't want to give her a chance to lie to me about her grade so I snatched both papers from the table top.  
"And here I was thinking politeness was a dying art."  
I heard her snarky comment but it almost didn't register with all of the shock I was feeling. This twit had actually scored higher than me!  
"No fucking way."  
I found myself screeching out.  
"What's the matter with you?"  
"There's no way you did better than me!"  
She sat up out the corner of my eye, and glanced over at the papers in my hand.  
"Looks like someone might want to study a little harder mmm."  
I turned and glared. How dare she say I STUDY more! I was way smarter than she could ever hope to be. How could she do better than me? Then it hit me, that incompetent teacher had graded our tests incorrectly. As soon as the bell dismissed us from the class, I took my things and the two papers up to the teacher's desk. I knew I would have to fake pleasantry and innocence to get him to question his own grading skills.  
"Surely Mr. Randall there has been some mistake."  
Mr. Randall removed the square rimmed glasses from his face. He thought this mess was funny!  
"And what do you mean by that Loki?"  
"I just meant maybe you had possibly mis-marked the quizzes resulting in a higher grade for her than I. A simple mistake really, but I would really love to have to correct comparison."  
I said to Mr. Randall, letting the words fall from my tongue.  
"I'll be happy to check these right now, but assure you these are accurate."  
I smirked as the teacher took the papers back. This Darcy would learn quickly that she was inferior. I came second to nobody in academics. It took until just after the bell rang for us to start our next class for him to finish grading the papers. He had the papers on his lap and he wrote something on one and handed them back at the same time. I saw the markings and I could feel my eyes widen. He had to be fucking with me. There was no way she had gotten two more right than me!  
"I stand corrected Mr. Odinson. You actually answered two questions wrong. I'm my haste to grade I missed your wrong answer it was inches in Cm by the millisecond. You had the wrong measuring, simple mistake. Maybe next time you should slow down and double-check your answers. Being the first one done is not as important as having the correct answer."  
I looked over the paper and sure enough I had made simple errors that messed up my score. Still I knew she would always view herself above me until I proved her wrong on the next test.  
"Now if that is all, I will write you a pass to your next classes. Where are you going?"  
"AP Composition, Brennan."  
We both said at the same time, causing our heads to snap toward each other.  
"Great you two can share a pass."  
He handed the colored pass to Darcy and she left the room with a smile on her face. I glared at her back. I'd prove them all wrong. I'm worth something...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I hope this was cool enough. I know Loki seems like an ass but we all know the boy has issues, as demonstrated by his last line...he will get better... eventually...
> 
> Thank you for reading new chapter soon...


	3. The reasons they keep us...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy and Loki both deal with the reasons their families keep them alive...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING* THIS CHAPTER HAS GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS OF ABUSE OF PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL NATURE, IF THAT IS NOT YOUR THING THEN YOU MIGHT WANT TO AVOID MOST OF THIS CHAPTER. IT CONTAINS NON CON ORAL, PSEUDO-INCEST, AND GRAPHIC VIOLENCE.
> 
> A/N: It took a lot out of me to write this...

Chapter 3: Here in Our Hell

Darcy's Pov:

When I pulled the door open and walked inside the smirk I had on my face immediately fell off. I didn't like everyone looking at me, it felt like everyone could see right through my clothes and could see all the bruises on my skin.

"Nice of you two to join us. I take it you have a pass."

Ms. Brennan was a short woman with a serious attitude issue, apparently. I pushed my hair behind my ear and handed her the pass. She eyed it for a second before sitting it on the table behind her, and pointing to an empty table similar to the ones you'd find in science class rooms and leave it to us to have to sit together at the only table left available, It was halfway back in the row closest to the door. I said nothing but move to a chair at the table, trying to ignore Loki's presence behind me. The teacher went on speaking and I saw Loki glaring at me. I whispered to him when I got tired of him, which only took a few moments.

"Didn't anybody teach you it's rude to stare?"

"Did anyone teach you to respect your betters?"

"Too bad you're not my better. Now I'm trying to pay attention and you are distracting me."

"If you let something as simple as my eyes distract you then you have proved my point of inferiority."

I rolled my eyes and looked at him. Loki had a satisfied borderline evil smirk on his face. I was tired of him and I could only pray I wouldn't see him anymore for the rest of the day...

*After School*

To my chagrin I had one more class with him and lunch with Loki. After Comp. I thought I was home free but then he showed up in my lunch which wasn't that bad because I usually sat outside under the tree with my lunch and I could avoid him. Then came my last class of the day. Gym is already the bane of my existence but then he had to come out of the locker room, his brother smacking his back heartily.

It didn't take him long to find me sitting alone at the top of the bleachers and glare at me. I spent the rest of the gym class avoiding his gaze and reading a book. The only good that came out this situation was that my gym teacher was also the football coach so if you weren't on his team he had no use for you, and after he pretended to warm you up, you were free to exercise as you wished, which meant leave him and his players alone so that they could get some practice in, and the cheerleaders of the class used the time to practice as well. As soon as class was let out I ran into one of the bathroom stalls with my clothes and changed my clothes...

Now I was at work. I had a fairly simple job in a tailor shop as an assistant and secretary. It was nothing special but it got me enough to pay for a phone and keep my dad off my back. My boss was pretty cool she gave me the choice on my schedule unless she had some big event coming up and she needed extra hands. I went in just about everyday from 4 to 10pm and on the weekends I was there all day. I never wanted to give her a reason to fire me, and she never asked questions about my family, but she was nice enough.

10:45pm

I trudged inside my house, tired the shop had been kinda busy today, it was also a cleaners so we had a lot of people in and I had to help out the others with the cleaning while still manning the front desk. I was about 15 minutes later than normal but I had to help shit down for the night and get this ready for tomorrow. All I really wanted was some food and a hot bath. All the light were out in the house signaling to me that my dad had gone to bed while my mom wouldn't be home until after her graveyard shift at the dinner she worked at was over. I walked into the kitchen to grab some water and suddenly found myself clutching the side of my head as hard blow landed to the right side. Yelping I fell to the floor and in the dark saw my fathers angry eyes staring back, the glass of water I had gotten dropped from my hand shattering across the kitchen floor the water spread across the floor.

"Where have you been?!"

He grunted at me.

"A..a...t Work."

He kicked me in my stomach causing me to drop into fetal position. He decided to kick me again only this time in the back. The air rushed out my lungs as I cried.

"You are a fucking Liar! I bet you were out whoring around just like your whore of a mother! Little bitch!"

He leaned down to punch me again, I shielded my face as his large fist rained blows down onto my body. He yanked me up by my neck and held me against the wall. His face was so close to mine that I could smell the fresh alcohol come out of his mouth and the lingering scent of alcohol and cigarettes coming from the pores of his skin.

"The next time I will kill you!"

Tears ran freely from my eyes as he lifted a fist and I couldn't move to cover my face and flinched waiting for the hit to make contact, but he waited for me to open my eyes that I hadn't realized closed and once they did he flinched liked he was going to strike.

"Maybe I should stop waiting time and just fucking kill you now."

He dropped me to the ground and kicked me again laughing as I began to cough roughly.

"Such a worthless cunt. You can't even take a hit. Pitiful and useless is what you are! Clean all this shit up and get to bed. Next time be at home on time! I promise I'll beat your whoring ways right out of you!"

He left the room, and I laid bleeding on the kitchen floor, my body screaming in pain. I knew it would do me no good to lay there longer, lest he come back for a round two. I used a kitchen chair as leverage and ended up sitting in a chair for a few moments and trying to compose myself. My arm screamed in pain as I noticed shards of glass jutting out from my skin from me rolling around on the floor. A couple of pieces weren't that deep and I was able to pull them out throwing them into the trash. I crawled onto my knees picking up the larger sheds of glass, watching as my blood mingled into the water in the moonlight coming in from the kitchen window. The task was completed after I made sure nothing was left that resembled his handy work. I limped my way into the bathroom my left leg stinging. In the light of the bathroom my injuries screamed out at me as I heard my father snore from his bedroom. I peeled off all my clothes and quickly saw I had a huge piece of the glass in my thigh. My body's endorphin must have been in over drive for me not to realize that glass was there. I bit my lips, drawing blood to hold back the scream that would have left my lips from pulling out the thick piece of glass. Then I took a pair of tweezers to my other glass wounds and made sure all of the glass was gone.

Why me? What horrible deeds had I committed in a past life to deserve this treatment now? Did I kill an innocent puppy? Did I rob an old lady? Had I murdered somebody? What could possible be the reason I was so alone in this world, and why had God forsaken me so much as to put me in this hell?! I eyed the sharp piece of glass covered in the fresh blood from my body. It would be so easy to quit now, it's not like I mattered to anybody I was worthless and I could go missing tomorrow and nobody would care.

I picked up the piece in my hands turning it back and forth contemplating my options. Did I have the guts to drag the cracked instrument against my hot flesh? It would be easy to just die now and make life easier all I had to do was watch the blood drop onto the floor from my wrist. I flipped on the shower water and sat at the bottom on the tub my tears running down my face with the water. I felt the blood rinse from my beaten body, while my mind twirled. "Stop being a chicken shit and just do it already!"

My brain screamed at me to end my suffering, but then again who would be around for my mother when I was gone? I just wanted it all to stop, but in my heart I couldn't go out that way, I couldn't die and I know I just have to make it. I have to graduate and get the hell way from this hell. I go away and I'll never look back, but as great as that plan was, it wouldn't stop me from crying tonight...

Loki's Pov:

Darcy walked ahead of me, her smirk beaming from her face. She entered the AP Composition class and it was my turn to smirk as she reddened from the attention, part of me urged myself to trip her, but I just couldn't it was embarrassing enough for the both of us to walk into a classroom late while everyone was listening to the teacher.

"Nice of you two to join us. I take it you have a pass."

Darcy nervously handed her the pass and we followed the teachers' hand to the only unoccupied table in the room, which oddly had science classroom tables rather than desks in them. She was clearly annoyed with being at the table. Maybe it was because it was with me? I had been acting like a bit of a jerk since I met her. It was a defense mechanism, if no one got close to me then nobody could ever figure out my nightly torture. Why was it so easy for her? Why did she get to just concentrate on her studies and best me at school work when I needed to be the best because it was my only way out. If I took Odin's money (Besides what I had been stashing away) for college I would have to study what he wanted, do what he wanted, go to a school nearby like he wanted me to do so I could "Spend more time with my family" every weekend. I glared at the girl with the long dark hair, and dark lashes next to me. She finally broke her head turning toward me to glare and speak in a hushed whisper.

"Didn't anybody teach you it's rude to stare?" She whispered out a bite of anger on every word.

"Did anyone teach you to respect your betters?" I countered to her.

"Too bad you're not my better. Now I'm trying to pay attention and you are distracting me."

"If you let something as simple as my eyes distract you then you have proved my point of inferiority."

She had no comeback and I won with ease. She had everything an easy life why not fuck with her a bit?

*After School*

I found myself looking for her in all of my classes from that AP Comp class all day. I took note that we had lunch together but she sat alone reading a book and seeming harmless. Thor noticed my gaze and tracked it to Darcy. He hounded me about it as we got dressed for the mandatory gym class we shared.

*Flashback*

"So brother, how are your new classes?"

I could tell Thor had other questions on his mind. Subtlety had never been Thor's strong point in any situation. He was the type to just tell you or point it out, much like the time he left his zipper open and rather than pull him aside he yelled "Loki you should zip up your pants, lest everybody at the party sees you wore your Harry Potter boxes this evening" which of course led to him being called a wizard and other very unfriendly names. So I shed only shared things with my brother.

"Thor what is your real question?"

"What makes you think that us not it?"

"You don't converse about school unless asked by mom or dad. So go ahead out with it before your boorish friends get involved."

I looked at him with prompting eyes.

"Fine. At lunch I noticed you looking at someone."

I stiffened at bit. He actually paid attention long enough to notice something about me other than that I was still breathing.

"Well that's what my eyes are for. Your point Thor?"

"Loki you were starring at a girl. You never have shown any interest about girls at this school."

"I have interests about many girls. You've just bedded most of the population here. Why would I want your whorish seconds?"

"The girl you were looking at earlier I'll have you know I haven't bedded her."

"I know and I don't care. Just because I take a look a girl I'm stuck looking and sitting next to for my first two periods everyday, does not mean I have an interest in her other than how to get her to drop so I can have a table for myself."

Thor looked at me and shook his head disbelievingly so I kept talking to drive my point home.

"So if this was some round about way of trying to make sure she wasn't off limits then by all means attempt to bed her, but I warn now she is a Popsicle. I'm sure she hasn't done shit, although her breasts are nice."

"I thought you weren't looking at her in that light?" Thor said to me, and I internally cursed, that thought about Darcy's breasts must have been subconsciously there because I wasn't thinking it and it just came out. Thor was grinning at me his smile to bright for the lighting in the room.

"I'm not, but she does they are hidden under horribly baggy clothes but when she leaned forward on the desk her shirt pulled and presto instant boobs. C at least and that was without a good look."

Thor began to shake in laughter and he left the area to use the restroom before we had to be on the floor. I quickly changed my shirt, I had a tank under my normal shirt so that nobody could see the hideous markings left on my back from Odin. The sick bastard had beaten me on my back, bruises had formed on me quickly and whatever he hit me with left deep gashes that would take a long time to heal and even then they might leave a mark, right now they were angry and red against my pale skin. I was pulling on another shirt when Thor came back out and we followed the other back out to join the class.

My eyes immediately found her, it was like she was a magnet and no matter where I went I searched for her. She sat at the top of the bleachers twiddling her thumbs and looking around nervously. Thor slapped me on my sore back causing me to hiss and him to laugh.

"You should practice with us Loki, coach says if you play as half as good as I do he has space for you on the team next year."

I rolled my eyes. Another chance to blend into Thor's background, I think I'll pass.

"No I'm fine, plus I'm going to be a lot of charity work come next year. It will look good on my applications for college."

"You are such a nerd bro."

Thor left me to warm up next to his friends and I got stuck with wondering if my assumption on Darcy's breast size was correct..."

*End Flashback*

Now I was heading home after returning a book back to library and finding two new ones. I had completely exhausted our home library already so these would be a great way to pass the time...

Dinner was fairly normal, Odin asking Thor about sports and mom asking me about my day because she knew Odin wouldn't. My day ended with a shower and trying to bask in the warmth that my bed held. It took him only 5 minutes to come into my room tonight. It must be some kind of new record for him, that and my mom was very tired so she most likely fallen asleep and he wanted to take his sexual frustration out on me.

"Get up boy."

I pretended to be sleeping already but he callously shook me and yanked me from my bed.

"Lets go boy!"

He tugged on my arm pulling me toward the room. It was the same room he always took me to, the one with no windows, one way in and one way out. It had a closet where Odin kept extra changes of clothes and other horrors to use on me, a single chair and of course an old mattress and bed frame in the corner of the currently dark room. Odin flicked on the lamp to my left, though it only provided a bit of light, much like a candle would. I hesitated at the door and he pushed me into the room hard enough to make my knees bend as I stumbled. He chuckled at my expense and I righted myself to a standing position. He closed the door and my mouth got dry. My insides hurt and the smile on Odin's face made my stomach curl. He moved toward me and I backed up. He followed me until my back was against a wall and I had no choice but to stop. He covered my body with his own moving to touch my face with a caress. He tried to kiss me the shot of alcohol he took before coming to find me. I turned my head away from his and angry he gripped my jaw roughly my eyes narrowed to hide the pain and fear I felt. I was not to deny him of anything while we were in the room.

"You dare deny me?"

Odin tried again and I turned the other way. It only pissed him off further. A could endure the pain and feelings of low self-worth, but I couldn't deal with false affections from him. He didn't care for me at all, he meant to use me for all I had to give which wasn't much.

"You think your too good to kiss me!"

His hand had stopped touching my face and wrapped itself around my throat.

"I don't want the illusion that you give a damn about me Father. There is no need for false affections against me."

His eyes flashed with anger and his tossed me to the floor by my neck that he had gripped onto harder at every word. I didn't cry out as I hit the ground out of pride and fear. He followed the toss with a quick kicked to the unprotected area of my stomach. I coughed and stuttered to find my breath, while my father laughed.

"Your weak boy, you can't even take a swift kick to the stomach. A huge disappointment, your brother can take full-grown men charging at him 5 at a time and you cannot take a light kick. You deserve to be treated as a woman, your hands and body unhardened."

"Your wrong, I may not be a giant slobbering baboon like your golden boy Thor. But I am not a woman, you know this well don't you father?"

The answer to my bitten out words was a slap across the face. Great now I would bruise across the face and would have to cover it later.

"WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT CALLING ME THAT IN THIS ROOM!"

Odin had a rules pertaining to the room that varied as he saw fit. One rule that hadn't changed over the years was that inside this room I couldn't call him father or any of the other like terms. I didn't have time to respond to his question as he yanked me back up. I pushed him away and began to fight against him trying to force himself on me. It was almost comically redundant to watch me fight against him, while I was tall, he was nearly twice my size in bulk and muscle. He caught my shirt ripping it, but not completely off. He finally landed a blow to my stomach that took all of the wind out of me, dropping to my knees with tears in my eyes.

"Simple boy, you are only good for one thing. On your knees is where you belong."

I refused to let the tears fall, I couldn't allow myself to feel anything as we fell into the normalcy we had established as I turned into a teenage boy. It never failed to scare me to hear Odin's clothes being pulled off his body and grimace as the hit the floor.

"I'm not sure what's gotten into you, or why you think you can fight me, you forget you are weak, you have no need to fight me because you cannot win, you forget your place. Open your mouth."

I tried to look everywhere but at the length that as being sported out as he stood in front of me. I tried to inch way but he gripped my dark hair into his overly large hand.

"You can't run from this lesson, I will teach it and you will learn. The only use for you is for my pleasure. Now OPEN YOUR MOUTH!"

Odin pulled my hair harder my throat being pulled tightly that my mouth had to open to allow myself to breathe. Odin wasted no time thrust-ed himself into my mouth and unprepared sputtered around the intrusion.

"The more you fight the more pleasing this becomes. M..you must accept the facts that this is what your supposed to doing, this is what your worth is."

Said Odin (while he ignored sounds of the youngest Odinson gagging around him, but relishing in the tightness it created.) I knew I had to stop fighting or Odin would drag this out longer. My foolish pride was crushed and oddly enough I felt most upset at disappointing my father with my behavior. I knew this was coming, and the undeniable fact was I was weak, I couldn't stop it no matter how many times I fought back. This was the only way to make him love me. He moved against my face with force, my jaw ached from being forced open repeatedly and I could tell as the pace quickened he was close to his finish.

"You do not waste a drop or you will suffer the consequences."

And with that he came shooting what he deemed as a gift down my throat, and once he was finished he pushed my head away from his now flaccid member. I just scuttled away from him with my stomach churning and my face covered with my own tears and spit. I had realized I had been crying and Odin moved toward me. I moved away and tried to find safety from old bed frame that had never kept me safe before. Odin laughed in my face and reached up to wipe my right eye, then brushed back my hair gently. Everything in me wanted to flinch away but I was too afraid of another punishment to attempt something as foolish as that again. I froze and Odin spoke to me.

"I don't want you to fear me Loki, I only punish you like this because I love you. I'm trying to make you a better man."

Odin kissed the top of my forehead and moved away from me.

"I have gotten what I required from you evening. Go clean yourself up and rest. You've got school in the morning"

I jumped up and scurried from the room, tossing myself inside my own locking that door and ran into my bathroom to lock that door as well and retch into the toilet bowl tears still falling from my eyes. When I had finished vomiting I washed my face, (Without looking in the mirror) I climbed into my bed and found myself going into a fetal position facing the wall, the moonlight shining into a single line on my soft carpeting. The rest of my room was cloaked in darkness, much like my life. It was dark no matter where I looked and my spot of moonlight was that I could go away for school. I was a disappointment to everyone and most importantly I was the biggest disappointment to myself...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to stab Odin with a prison shiv. It's happening... anyone else want to join in?   
> IN ALL TRUTH, thank you for taking the time to reading, and hopefully nobody is too greatly offended by the chapter, because like I mentioned before, I am writing this because I want to shed light on that fact that this happens and we because we don't take the time to notice our neighbors and friends injustices like this happen and innocent people are hurt...
> 
> Also in a side note: I am looking for a beta for this story as well as my other stories and some upcoming stuff and one shots I haven't posted yet


	4. The Lies We Tell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are changing...

Chapter 4: Here in Our Hell

Darcy's Pov:

I wasn't sure how I found the strength to get up from the bed this morning but I did. I swallowed as much pain medicine as I could without overdosing and found my small bag of make-up and pulled out the concealer out of it, working to hide the bruise on the side of my face. After it was affectively hidden I made sure I changed the bandages I had out on my cuts last night and pulled on a long sleeved shirt and jeans then pulling on an old sweater over that. I was going to have to leave my house earlier if I wanted to make it on time because my leg injury was slowing me down considerably. I put all the stuff I needed to change my bandages later in my bag and began to limp my way to school.

I was about a third of the way there when I heard a car creeping up behind me. I paused my music as it came to roll slowly next to me. I eyed the shiny black mustang that hadn't sped up and drove off. I wondered if I had enough time to grab my pepper spray and would I be fast enough to run away for help. The car stopped and I heard the doors open and tried to limp faster. I began to silently pray that I was over reacting.

"Darcy?"

I stopped, I knew that velvety voice. I turned around fast jarring my leg I hissed and almost dropped forward, but Loki had stopped me from falling on my face. I shook off the pain ignoring the feeling how strong his arms felt despite their appearance.

"Darcy are you ok?"

"I...I am fine."

"Oh please don't lie to me. You seem injured. What happened?"

He asked me concern written all over his face. I quickly devised a lie.

"I'm forever clumsy. I slipped on some rouge water in the kitchen, dropped my glass and fell in some of the shards, messed up my leg."

Loki looked at me almost questioning if whether or not he should push the issue. I guess he decided not to because he asked,

"Did you get someone to take a look at it?"

"No, I don't have health insurance, beside m..my mom says to just walk it off it will heal just fine in a few days."

"It's obvious that you shouldn't be walking the distance to school on it. Get in."

My eyes bugged out my head. I started shaking my head 'no'.

"Oh...n...no I'm good...I'm just..."

Loki looked at me before rolling his eyes and yanking my backpack off my shoulder and walking over to his car.

"Hey that's mine."

"And you can get it back when you get in the car. Come on you are already going to take twice the time getting to the first class of the day. Let's go or else I'm putting you in the car next."

I gave up, it would save me a hell of a lot of time if I drove with him, plus his car was pretty nice. Fuck it, I'm getting in.

I hobbled over to him and he opened the car door for me and closed it once I was safely inside. I watched him sit my bag in his trunk and climb back into the driver seat; Turning the car over he, pulled away. Evanescence's 'Bring me to life' played from the speakers.

"So... umm...nice car"

"Thank you. My parent bought this as a gift rather than throwing some ridiculously expensive party for my most recent birthday."

I took note the interior was all black leather and had a stripe of green running down the seats to break the monotony of the car. I watched him as he drove ignoring how his leather coat pulled against his skin the black a stark contrast to the paleness of skin. Then I noticed some slight discoloration to his skin. I followed the messily done make up to his cheek where he had a large discoloration on his face. It was obviously something he tried to do himself, and failed.

"Are you wearing Make-up Loki?"

I asked before my brain could catch up with my mouth. His head snapped to me his eyes landing on my face.

"What?!"

His face was stone, but behind his eyes was something else. Like nervousness, fear, anger and distrust.

"It's okay if you are. It's clear you don't wear it often enough to do it right. Clearly you're wearing it to cover something."

"That's none of your fucking business."

I flinched.

"Look be mad if you want. All I'm trying say it's obvious you are wearing it, and if discreet is what you are going for then you're clearly wearing the wrong shade."

Loki gripped the steering wheel tightly and all of a sudden he turned where he wasn't supposed to.

"Where are we going? School is the other way!"

He ignored me and pulled into a nearby store and reached into his pocket.

"Go inside and buy the right whatever it is I need to make it look like I'm not wearing it."

He opened his wallet and found a $20 dollar bill, handing it me.

"Why do I have to get it?"

"You are going to get it and fix it on my face. Think of it as payment for the ride."

I sighed. I guess he was right, but damn him. I didn't even ask for the ride yet here I was doing his biding so he can hide his need to be a 'boy spice' in his free time. I got out the car after a few moments of difficulty and walked into the store. The elderly lady at the counter smiled at me and I smiled back and then went to try to find the right concealer for his face. After 3 minutes I choose the best one and a travel pack of make-up remover. I also bought a pack of double-mint gum with his money and I had no intention of paying him back a dollar and 30 cents for said gum. The cashier rung me up and handed back my change.

Once back outside I popped a piece of gum into my mouth and handed Loki back his change to which he tossed it in his pocket.

"Alright let's do this. Here, use this."

Loki looked confused, and then shook his head 'no'.

"You've got to take that gunky mess off first or this one won't lay right."

"I meant no, we can't do this in the open. Let me pull around the back."

Loki turned his car until he was well behind the store. I laughed at his words, he made what I was about to do to him was illicit. Though that thought stopped me in my tracks, what if we were about to do something dirty behind a Walgreens before school. I was daring enough to think it could have been fun. If it actually happened.

"What is so funny?"

"Just the way you said it. You made it sound like I was about to blow you or something. It just was funny.

"That can be arranged if you want. I don't mind."

He said and I started laughing, when he didn't join in I got nervous. Nobody could see me, meaning he could rape me back here and nobody would know. He saw my distress and started laughing.

"I'm only kidding Darcy geez."

"Yea well I'm sure you wouldn't mind and that wasn't a very good joke."

"Not to you, but you can't see your face right now."

I rolled my eyes.

"All right come on."

"Where are we going?"

"I can't do your make up in the dark. Come lean on the car so I can see your face."

Loki shrugged and got out the car. I followed him out and he came over to my side of the car. He leaned against his car and I handed him a wipe from the make-up removal pads package.

"Here you go. Take all off whatever you put on yourself."

He was hesitant to take the make-up off, but after a few seconds he began to scrub at his own application. The more he removed the more I began to question just what in the hell happened to give him these bruises. There was a large fist shaped one of the right side of his face and fingers prints wrapped all around his neck. I opened the make-up and put some on the applicator. I moved closer and began putting it on. I breathed on, and he smelled good, it was a scent nobody would ever replicate, and it was like nothing I'd ever smelled. I wondered what had happened to him.

"So would you like to tell me how all this happened to your face?"

Loki stopped breathing for a moment, but then shook it off, his eyes finding mine.

"Would you like to tell me how you truly hurt your leg?"

Loki countered with one eyebrow raised. I looked away from him. I could never tell him what had truly happened to me. He'd laugh at me, and be disgusted. He'd never talk to me again, shit he could tell everybody if I did tell him.

"I...um...I told you how it happened."

"Then why don't I believe you?"

Loki said to me.

"Umm...you have trust issues?"

I finished on his neck and began to work on his face.

"Why should I trust you? I don't know you."

"I haven't given you a reason to not trust me."

"If you say so. Are you finished?"

I was just about to be done but I needed his jaw to stop moving.

"As soon as you stop moving your jaw."

He stopped moving and I was able to finish blending.

"Alright you're done. Now let's go or we will be late."

I got back in the car and Loki closed my door for me before going to his side of the car. He started it back up before pulling out from the back. We were almost to school when he said.

"So you really aren't going to tell me how you really messed up your leg?"

I eyed him and then looked out the window.

"You don't care anyway. It's not worth it to me to tell you."

Loki pulled into the school parking lot, and shut off the car once he was in a parking spot. He turned to face me.

"I'll help you out of the car."

He opened his door and came over to my side and held out his hand for me to take. I took it and was pulled to my feet, I followed him to the trunk and he grabbed both bags.

"I can carry it myself you know."

"Maybe, but why do that when you have somebody that is willing to carry it for you."

I nodded and started toward the school. It was then I realized that there were a lot of people looking at me or rather us. Why was everybody staring at us? Was it because of my leg injury?

"I forgot everybody likes to stare at a crippling injury."

He began laughing at me.

"They are not staring at you, they are staring at us."

"Us?"

I was confused.

"Oh Yes. You see I don't think people are accustomed to seeing me with somebody of the opposite sex. So for the drones of this high school, this is big news."

I groaned and tried to walk faster. Loki chuckled behind me, and sped up to my pace.

"You walk any faster you are going to hurt your leg further. Slow down."

"You do know everybody is going to think I'm screwing you right?"

My breathing started picking up. I didn't want to be labeled as one of Odinson's whores for my remaining years. Loki started laughing again. It pissed me off further, how could he think this shit is funny.

"Stop laughing dammit, this isn't funny."

"It is when you got that look on your face. Look it's really not that bad. In fact this will help your reputation"

"This is not going to help my reputation. I am a nobody for a reason I don't want anybody to know me, and especially not for being your plaything!"

Loki stepped back and then glared at me.

"Oh please do not think so highly of yourself. Like anybody would think I would stoop so low as to sleep with you."

I bristled in anger. I couldn't keep arguing with him about this, my best bet would be to get away from him now.

"Give me my bag."

I demanded with my hand out. Loki looked at my bag in his hand.

"This bag?"

He held it up into the air. Damn him for being so tall, and he knew I couldn't jump to try.

"Come on, stop being a dick and give me my bag back!"

"Calm down first and I'll consider it."

I huffed at crossed my hands across my chest.

"I just want to go to class and get off my leg. It's starting to hurt worse."

I could tell my leg was starting to bleed again, why he is making this harder? I turned around saw a gang of people watching us argue in the middle of the hallway.

"Then come on let's go."

"Give me my belongings and I can go."

I could feel people's eyes on me and I wanted to cry. Why was he putting me through this?

"FUCKING KEEP IT THEN!"

I yelled and tried to walk away as fast as I could only to find Loki behind me and when the five minute bell rang suddenly, we realized we were far from our classroom. At least at this pace anyway, but we were close to the office so he yanked me into the office.

"What are you doing Loki?"

"Just go with it."

He whispered to me and then promptly wrapped his arms around my waist, and we walked over to the desk.

"Mrs. Winters how are you doing today."

The elder lady looked up and smiled at them. Or most likely she was smiling at Loki.

"Oh Loki hello, I'm doing well. And you? How are your new classes?"

"My new classes are going just fine; in fact this young lady next to me is in three of them. I'm not sure if you know her or not but this is Darcy Lewis, a fellow junior student."

"Oh no I don't think I have. Hello dear."

I shook her hand and said hello back.

"Mrs. Winters my friend here had a bit of an accident yesterday. She fell down and hurt her leg. Her parents wanted her to wait a few days to see if she felt better before going to the doctor, but she can barely walk on it, so until they can get her to the proper doctor is there any way we can get her an early dismissal pass for her and whomever chooses to help her get to her next class. ?"

"You know I'm not supposed to give you that without the proper doctor's note. How long before you will be able to make it to the doctor dear?"

She asked me with a look of concern in her eyes.

"At least a week. My parents really want me to wait."

"Okay fine I will give you one sweetheart. I can tell you are in pain, but please be more careful. And Loki can you make sure she gets to her next class okay?"

"Yes m'am we are going to the same class first anyhow."

Mrs. Winters handed us passes and me and temporary dismissal paper that would last a week. Loki thanked her again and held his arm out for me to take and we walked to class...

Gym Period:

Our gym teacher was cool and let me sit out which wasn't much different from any other day but it was nice to not have to change out my clothes.

My leg had been pounding all day and I was dreading going to work. I can almost guarantee I am going to be late. I ignored the whispers about me all day and kept my head down. Loki had helped me get to the classes I had with him and that only added fuel to the fire. It was times like this I want to burrow in the ground and hide. I propped my leg up on the bleachers. We were outside and all the guys in the class were playing some kind of pickup game that Thor had talked all of them into playing. I tried to read my book but I found myself staring at the game. Just like I had admitted before Loki ever opened his mouth that he was good looking. Despite the fact that he was much smaller in size compared to the other guys, he matched them in height. His moves were fluid and graceful, he dodged having his flag taken multiple times and the ones on his team actually cheered for him including his big brother. Thor had everyone's attention (and by everyone I mean the girls) by having his shirt off and sweating, but I wasn't looking at him although it wasn't a bad view. I had just dropped my eyes back to my book when I heard.

"So you and Loki huh?"

I looked up and around finding Sarah A.K.A Sif staring at me then taking a seat.

"Oh, he and I are just tentative friends. Nothing important or anything, and very temporary at the most."

"Loki does not have friends, and surely does not allow random girls into his car and actually be nice to them, so you don't have to lie about anything."

I ignored her smile and stared blankly at him.

"I'm not lying Sarah. We have a couple of classes together and he saw me having a hard time getting around today. He helped me out, we're cool."

"If you say so, but I'll just give you a little warning. Loki is not what you want in a boyfriend. He uses you to get what he wants and then leaves. Save yourself the heart ache honey."

And with that Sif left me on the bench and I started laughing as I began to gather my stuff so I could leave.

10 minutes later:

I was slowly making my way down the street and I heard a horn honk behind me. I turned to see Loki coming to a stop and getting out the car.

"What are you doing?"

"Going to work?"

"Why didn't you wait for me?"

He questioned me generally confused as to why I was walking down the street.

"I didn't think I was supposed to. I've got to get going, I'm going to be late as it is."

"Just how far do you go?"

"About a 30 minute walk but at this pace I will just be walking in when it's time for me to start."

"I'll take you."

"I really don't want to inconvenience you..."

"You're not. I don't make a habit of letting people inconvenience me or take me for granted and you have done neither besides your little outburst in the hallway earlier."

I felt my face redden a little bit, I forgot about that little spat earlier.

"My bad."

I got in the car and sat my bag on my lap.

"It's fine Darcy, although I have been waiting on an answer all day to an answer to my question."

"What question?"

I looked at him as he drove toward to direction I was walking toward.

"How did you truly get that leg injury?"

I stiffened in my seat.

"You don't want to know."

"I don't ask questions I don't want to know the answer to."

"You say that now, but...look Loki it's just better for the both of us if you just stop asking me."

Loki looked at me for a second before saying

"Where do you work?"

"The cleaners and tailor shop over on 3rd and Santa Ana."

I said wanting to sink into the seat and disappear.

"What time do you need to be there?"

"4pm"

"We've got time then."

I looked at him my blue eyes widening.

"Time for what?"

" To get food. I'm hungry."

"Oh I don't..."

"I'll still get you to work on time. It will be quick."

Loki turned and drove until he ended up at Sonic. It was happy hour so I got the largest cherry lime-aid possible and a Jr. Cheeseburger. When I pulled out my wallet to hand over my $4.23 Loki refused it and paid for all of our food.

"You didn't have to pay for my stuff I could have gotten it."

"Yeah but like I said why do it when you could have somebody else do it for you."

The carhop brought us our food and I checked my phone and we had plenty of time to eat it, so he stayed parked in the spot and opened his sandwich.

"Thank you for everything you've done for me today. You didn't have to and I appreciate it."

"You're welcome. You are lucky I am in a generous mood. Although most people seem to want to use me for what I can give them and you don't. I'd like to say it's a welcome release."

I got the distinct feeling that there was more to his story, more than just the rich, jerk kid with shockingly good looks who couldn't keep his head out if his ass. It was something else that surrounded him, but I couldn't tell what it was.

"I don't expect anything from you. Hell I'm still nervous that you aren't plotting on how to set me on fire to keep the valedictorian spot."

We chuckled and Loki looked at me.

"What's your class rank?"

"Umm...15 I think. Why?"

"I just wondered why somebody of your intellect was not number 2."

"I could have been number one but my freshman year wasn't the best. If I can get to at least number 5 I would have great chances of getting more scholarships."

"Do you have money for college?"

"No, my family...well let's just say I work hard to help my family. A college fund is not an option."

"Oh...well I am looking for scholarships as well. It's best to start looking now before our senior year rolls around and your scratching your head wondering where you're going to go for college like Thor."

"You guys don't have the money for college?"

"We do. It's just... complicated"

"I must say if I can solve complex matrix problems without a calculator I think I can understand your issues Loki."

"If I take family money I will have to go where my father wants me to go, which is somewhere close. I want to get as far away as possible."

"I understand. I can't wait to be far away from my family. I wish I could do that engineering internship out in California with Stark industries this summer but its way too expensive."

"I plan on going once my mom convinces my dad it is for the best. Don't you have to have a invite to go?"

"Yeah I got one but besides the whole money situation my dad thinks it's nerdy."

"Yeah watch him say that to you when you will have enough money and intellect to take care of him and your mother as well as yourself. He will learn not to be so judgmental."

I couldn't help but notice the look on Loki's face as he spoke. His words were a self assurance to me but I felt like they were to him as well. I decided not to ask him what the look as about and ignored it.

"Yea I hope so. Maybe next year after graduation I can get an internship."

"Maybe, although I think Stark industries wants somebody who can stand on their own two feet without doing bodily harm."

Loki said to me with a snicker which caused me to glare at him which only made him laugh harder.

Damn him for looking so damn handsome when he smiled...

Loki's Pov:

I woke up wishing I could have just stayed asleep, hell maybe even forever. My jaw was still sore and my face hurt. I stumbled from bed at the sound of my alarm clock and into the bathroom. I took a very hot shower, scrubbing until my skin was almost raw and when I was done I got dressed impeccably like I did every day. Nobody could think the Odinson's were less than perfect. I looked in the mirror and had the strong urge to break my mirror. Odin had no care for how I was supposed to explain this big ass bruise on the side of my face. I had to think, I couldn't really use the whole "I fell out of bed" thing again or the "I ran into a wall on my way to my bathroom in the middle of the night" excuse. Shit. I thought about how I'd get away with a seemingly magical bruise and cursed. I only had one option left and that was to wear make-up and leave the house early. I hadn't had to put make up on myself since about 6 months ago, when Odin had forgotten his strength far too often in the course of a few weeks. So I snuck into my parents rooms and stole a new bottle of my mom's blemish hider stuff she wore. She has a bit more of a tan than I do so it's not completely right on my face but it would have to do until the bruise died down. I did my best to slather it on my face and ran out the house before anyone but our servants had come down for breakfast...

I was going to be fairly early getting to school so instead I stopped for breakfast and then drove to school still being way earlier than intended. Memories flashed through my mind while I drove, all the pain I couldn't escape came to circle me in the silence of the car. I wanted to scream out the windows of my car, purchase huge billboards that said "Harold Odinson is a sick bastard who sexually assaults his youngest son." So many things I wanted to do to break from this hell hole, but what would happen if I did say something? My family would be torn apart, my mother would be a broken woman, my brother would hate me for being our fathers bitch all these years and for shattering the perfect image of the only they'd known as a father. I didn't want to lose them; they've all I got, maybe the only ones that truly love me. Lost in my thoughts I happened to notice someone limping down the street, going toward the school slowly, the backpack resting low on her back, her long brown hair bouncing as she took a step. It hit me, this was familiar to me, and so I slowed down and saw it was Darcy. I was alarmed she hadn't been walking like this yesterday when I saw her last. I came to a stop, putting my car in park and getting out.

"Darcy?"

I called out to her and she stopped turning around fast and then her face contorted over in pain and she almost fell over onto the ground. I caught her in my arms, the slight breeze shifting her warm vanilla and honey scent toward me. I was worried at the small amount of tears that had gathered in the corners of her eyes at the slightest of movements. That was never a good sign.

"Darcy are you ok?"

"I...I am fine."

She attempted at a sorry lie. It was not convincing as she stood up straight again, taking her weight of one leg, indicating that that one was the one causing her pain.

"Oh please don't lie to me. You seem injured. What happened?"

I wanted to know, for some reason for a brief moment I cared about her well being. It wasn't as unpleasant as I thought it would be, to care. So I listened as she talked.

"I'm forever clumsy. I slipped on some rouge water in the kitchen, dropped my glass and fell in some of the shards, messed up my leg."

Her story didn't make complete sense to me. How did she imbed shards in her leg from a glass that would have fallen some distance away from the body and when she fell the nearby shards wouldn't give her license not to walk steady. No, she would have had to have fallen on huge deep pieces possibly roll onto it to incur that type of damage. I was going to bust her for lying but I looked at her closely, and while I didn't understand it, I felt like I could relate to her. I could tell behind her large blue eyes that she didn't want me to keep pressing the issue.

"Did you get someone to take a look at it?"

"No, I don't have health insurance, beside m..my mom says to just walk it off it will heal just fine in a few days."

Walk it off? Damn, that was cold, your daughter has seriously injured herself and you tell her to walk it off without so much as insisting to take her to school so that her leg can heal. I made the off-hand decision to give her a ride.

"It's obvious that you shouldn't be walking the distance to school on it. Get in."

She looked around panicked and shook her head 'no'.

"Oh...n...no I'm good...I'm just..."

I could tell she wasn't going to come willingly so I walked up and took her backpack off her arm so that she would have to come with me to get it back.

"Hey that's mine."

She said a slight glare on her face.

"And you can get it back when you get in the car. Come on you are already going to take twice the time getting to the first class of the day. Let go or else I'm putting you in the car next."

I meant every word. I would snatch Darcy up and stick her in the front seat; despite the torture I suffered I've always been raised to be a gentleman to a woman, especially one in so obviously in distress; Whether she admitted she was in it or not.

"So... umm...nice car"

"Thank you. My parent bought this as a gift rather than throwing some ridiculously expensive party for my most recent birthday."

I loved my car, you asked me "what was the one thing I would never be able to give up" and the answer was my car. My car was my freedom, I often imagined myself starting up the ignition and driving away from this place and never coming back. I was imagining myself driving away surprisingly I wasn't alone in my fantasy and Darcy was riding beside me hair flying backward as the wind flew through it because the top was down. My thoughts were broken when I heard,

"Are you wearing Make-up Loki?"

My head snapped to hers. How had she noticed it? I thought I did an okay job on it. Would she figure out my secret?

"What?!" I said with a hint of surprise in my voice, that I hated to hear.

"It's okay if you are. It's clear you don't wear it often enough to do it right. Clearly you're wearing it to cover something."

"That's none of your fucking business."

Darcy flinched at my angry tone. I knew it was a bad idea to get close to people, people noticed things when they were close.

"Look be mad if you want. All I'm trying say it's obvious you are wearing it, and if discreet is what you are going for then you're clearly wearing the wrong shade."

I wasn't sure it Darcy could tell something had happened or not, but I had to make sure she was the only one who noticed something off with my face. A store was just on the corner of the next street over, so I made the rash decision to turn toward the store so she could fix my problem. I knew she could, she was a girl, all girls knew make-up.

"Where are we going? School is the other way!"

I ignored her squeal and turned into the parking lot of the store. Reaching to my wallet, I fished out a $20 dollar bill and put it in her hands.

"Go inside and buy the right whatever it is I need to make it look like I'm not wearing it."

Her eyes popped open a bit wider, making her blue eyes shine in the dark interior of my car. I knew it was kind of cruel to make her go and get it, but I was embarrassed to be seen like this, plus it would seem more than normal for her to get it rather than I. She would know what to get and I didn't.

"Why do I have to get it?" She questioned me.

"You are going to get it and fix it on my face. Think of it as payment for the ride."

She really didn't have an argument; I was saving her valuable time by taking her to school, because at her pace and judging by the amount of pain she had on her face she would have been late or at least cutting it very close. She rolled her eyes slightly and got out the car limping her way inside. My phone beeped and let me know I had an incoming text message. I saw it was from Thor

"Where are you?" He asked me

"Why" I replied

"Mom and Dad were worried when you didn't come down for breakfast. I noticed your car was gone already. Where are you?"

"I had somewhere to be before school today"

"Why so early?" I rolled my eyes at the never ending questions from Thor

"Because the sky is blue Thor, why are you asking so many questions?

"Because I'm worried, you know I heard you throwing up last night. Are you sure you okay?"  
I knew Thor was just being Thor and being worried about me like he normally was, because he thought he had to protect me, but Thor couldn't protect me from the biggest horror of them all, so I turned down all the other protection her offered me. I was nervous at any rate, he had said he heard me vomiting last night, did that mean he heard me creep back into my room? Had he heard our father making me follow him down the hall?

"I AM FINE THOR."

"Are you ditching today, because if you are let me know so I can cover you?"

"No I'm going to school. I will be there shortly."

"Okay"

I changed the screen when I saw Darcy come out the store a bag in hand. She opened the door and got in, opening a pack of gum as she did so. She offered me a piece but I declined taking the change she offered and sticking it somewhere in my car. I realized she used my money to purchase the gum but I didn't care. I hardly expected change from the store, I wasn't sure how much those products cost, but as long as they worked I didn't care much.

"Alright let's do this. Here, use this."

She opened the bag and a small package, handing me wipe to take the other product I had on my face off. Shook my head no, I couldn't let anyone else see the hideous mess on my face besides her, and that was bad enough. People would never let me live it down if they saw me getting women's beauty products on my face, even if it was for a good reason. I could threaten her; I couldn't stop a full blown rumor.

"You've got to take that gunky mess off first or this one won't lay right."

She assumed that I didn't want her to see the bruise, and that was partially true but for the most part it was because we were in public view.

"I meant no, we can't do this in the open. Let me pull around the back."

Darcy started laughing in her seat, the bag on her lap, as I parked behind the store, as far off the street as possible.

"What is so funny?"

I questioned her; she wasn't going to laugh at me in front of my face no less.

"Just the way you said it. You made it sound like I was about to blow you or something. It just was funny.

Immediately the words lingered in my mind. Darcy was…different from all the other girls I had bothered to hold a conversation with in my past. She wasn't after anything from me, or so it appeared. It would do to keep her in my good graces, if only until I had no need for her at least. I hardly think she would be keen to the idea of being one of my on- call girls that I made use of when I needed release, but maybe a couple of smooth words on my part could ease her into the idea. Her body wasn't bad at all, at least not from what I could tell from her baggy clothing.

"That can be arranged if you want. I don't mind."

I took one look at her face and laughed. She looked truly petrified at the thought of sex with me. I didn't bother me as much as it should have. I could tell she was more nervous and afraid than disgusted. Maybe it wasn't me that made her feel that way…

"I'm only kidding Darcy geez."

"Yea well I'm sure you wouldn't mind and that wasn't a very good joke."

"Not to you, but you can't see your face right now."

"All right come on." Said Darcy.

"Where are we going?"

I questioned her, she couldn't expect me to go where other people could see.

"I can't do your make up in the dark. Come lean on the car so I can see your face."

It wasn't far, and I parked where we couldn't be seen from the street. I followed along with her instructions and she handed me the wipe from before.

"Here you go. Take all off whatever you put on yourself."

I wouldn't show how nervous I was, I mean what if she started asking questions, worse, what if she figured it out. She would tell everyone, and I'd become a laughing stock, I was still a minor so they would rip everything way from me, all that I'd known would be gone, if she said anything. I looked at her and saw that she had something going on with herself, and it was something she would be too focused on keeping secret to worry about me, and making my life hell. Inside something told me that Darcy wasn't the type to bring you down to make herself feel better, I could tell she was better than that. Reluctantly and still on the fence about trusting her, I took off my application. I was the slight worry in her eyes as the bruises were revealed to her, if she showed one ounce of pity, I would push her way. I could not take pity, and I wouldn't take anyone pitying me. Nothing good ever came from it, and she would not give me that.

"So would you like to tell me how all this happened to your face?"

SHIT. I was hoping she wouldn't ask. I hadn't thought up a convincing enough lie yet, and she had fucking asked! I had to counter quickly.

"Would you like to tell me how you truly hurt your leg?"

I asked her, a small smirk on my face and she shrunk slightly and looked downward. I knew Ms. Mouse had secrets of her own, that she didn't uncovered. What a better way to cover my own then to bring up my own.

"I...um...I told you how it happened."

"Then why don't I believe you?"

She was clearly lying, what about I wasn't sure. Had she truly hurt her leg? Had she done it to herself, had somebody else done it to her.

"Umm...you have trust issues?"

She said to me. I cracked a very small smile. She was right about that, I did have trust issues. I trusted no one but my mother, and brother.

"Why should I trust you? I don't know you."

"I haven't given you a reason to not trust me."

"If you say so. Are you finished?"

I asked impatiently. The quicker she was done, the less time I would have to spend dodging her questions.

"As soon as you stop moving your jaw."

I stopped talking and she finished before closing the items she bought and hobbling over to her side of the car.

"Alright you're done. Now let's go or we will be late."

She got in and I closed her door for her, and got in turning back on the street. She shifted on her leg uncomfortably; I did honestly wonder what the truth behind the injury was so I asked again hoping she would finally tell me. I only hoped it was embarrassing enough to use as leverage later on.

"So you really aren't going to tell me how you really messed up your leg?"

She looked me over and then looked out the window, watching the trees go by.

"You don't care anyway. It's not worth it to me to tell you."

That puzzled me, what would make it not worth it to tell me? Nothing that embarrassing would make her not tell me. Now I had to know, but I could tell I would have to talk the answer out of her. I pulled into a parking space and turned off my car. I might as well be nice to her if she was ever going to tell me.

"I'll help you out of the car."

I got out going to her side and opening the door. Grabbing my hand she used it to get out the car. I went to the trunk and took both bags in hand. It wasn't a big deal, neither bag was heavy and she was having enough trouble walking without carrying something.

"I can carry it myself you know."

"Maybe, but why do that when you have somebody that is willing to carry it for you."

She walked beside me trying to focus on getting in a seat; I looked around and noticed all the pairs of eyes on the two of us. She hadn't noticed yet but I had. People were not used to seeing me with someone, and most definitely not someone of the opposite sex. She was in for it and I don't think she even knew it.

"I forgot everybody likes to stare at a crippling injury."

She said naively, her eyes glancing all aroundus.

"They are not staring at you, they are staring at us."

"Us?"

"Oh Yes. You see I don't think people are accustomed to seeing me with somebody of the opposite sex. So for the drones of this high school, this is big news."

She tried to get away from me, but was wasn't moving that much fast and allowed me to catch up with her. She wasn't going to get any better hurting herself more.

"You walk any faster you are going to hurt your leg further. Slow down."

"You do know everybody is going to think I'm screwing you right?"

I laughed at her that was exactly what everyone was going to think.

"Stop laughing dammit, this isn't funny."

"It is when you got that look on your face. Look it's really not that bad. In fact this will help your reputation"

"This is not going to help my reputation. I am a nobody for a reason I don't want anybody to know me, and especially not for being your plaything!"

Plaything? As if, I mean I may have pondered the idea, but she had no say so to act like I was the worse person in the world to be connected to.

"Oh please do not think so highly of yourself. Like anybody would think I would stoop so low as to sleep with you."

"Give me my bag."

She demanded with her hand out. I looked at her bag in my hand.

"This bag?"

I held it above my head, she was already way shorter and couldn't jump to get it because of her leg. I thought to make her apologize for her reaction earlier, but as her face grew all flushed I decided to just calm her down first.

"Come on, stop being a dick and give me my bag back!"

"Calm down first and I'll consider it."

She crossed her arms across her chest , making her breasts move up higher.

"I just want to go to class and get off my leg. It's starting to hurt worse."

"Then come on let's go."

"Give me my belongings and I can go."

When I didn't she exploded.

"FUCKING KEEP IT THEN!"

She tried to storm off, and I did my best not to laugh at her. She was making no progress with that leg. I caught up with her just as the bell rang signaling to us only 5 minutes to get to a class that was on the other side of the school at her pace. We weren't that far from the main officeand I realized Mrs. Winters would give me anything I wanted if she asked nicely. She loved me as a student. I took Darcy by the arm and led her that way.

"What are you doing Loki?"

"Just go with it."

We walked over to the desk, with me supporting her.

"Mrs. Winters, how are you doing today?"

"Oh Loki hello, I'm doing well. And you? How are your new classes?"

"My new classes are going just fine; in fact this young lady next to me is in three of them. I'm not sure if you know her or not but this is Darcy Lewis, a fellow junior student."

"Oh no I don't think I have. Hello dear."

Darcy shook Mrs. Winters hand nervously.

"Mrs. Winters my friend here had a bit of an accident yesterday. She fell down and hurt her leg. Her parents wanted her to wait a few days to see if she felt better before going to the doctor, but she can barely walk on it, so until they can get her to the proper doctor is there any way we can get her an early dismissal pass for her and whomever chooses to help her get to her next class. ?"

"You know I'm not supposed to give you that without the proper doctor's note. How long before you will be able to make it to the doctor dear?"

She asked Darcy.

"At least a week. My parents really want me to wait."

"Okay fine I will give you one sweetheart. I can tell you are in pain, but please be more careful. And Loki can you make sure she gets to her next class okay?"

"Yes m'am we are going to the same class first anyhow."

I thanked her in my velvet tone and left with Darcy to our first class

Gym Period:

I dressed quickly so that I could avoid Thor, he had been texting me all day trying to get me to answer his questions about Darcy, I knew if he got me alone he would bug the shit out of me until he got an answer. I was almost home free when I heard.

"Oh no you don't, brother"

Thor caught me by the shoulder and yanked me back in the locker room. He guided me to a bench and started changing quickly.

"You aren't getting away that quickly, spill it bro."

"Spill what?"

I played dumb to his questions.

"Don't play stupid with me; you are far from it and so am I. That girl you arrived with this morning, she is the same girl you told me meant nothing yesterday."

"Yes she is what of it?"

"What of it? Come on Loki, you never have girls in your car unless you are dating them or taking them home afterwards. You carried her bags and everything aww… bro bro is in love"

Thor teased and poked at me. I swatted at his hand, and he laughed at me.

"Oh fuck you Thor. I do not love the girl; she is just a friend,"

"And I suppose your lingering gaze on her when you think nobody is noticing is just friendship."

"My gaze does not linger. She was injured and I promised I'd help her. That's all."

"You never make such promises, why now? Cuz you wanna tap that."

Thor said all cheerful.

"Not in the slightest. I saw her walking with an injured leg this morning and I offered her a ride. That is it."

I spoke. It was partially true; I mean that was how it started…

Thor smugly smiled at me, but said nothing. We left the locker room and I saw Darcy had sat out for the day, resting her leg up on the benches she sat at. I heard a cough behind me when Thor stood next to me.

"And you say she's just a friend…"

He sung in his god awful singing voice. I rolled my eyes and left him standing there…

*After Class*

Darcy was gone when I came out the locker room; I expected to have to take her home. She was very injured. In all honesty she shouldn't have that weight on it, if she wanted it to heal without coming back open. I grabbed my keys and drove off trying to find her and to my luck she hadn't gotten far. I honked and car horn and parked it so I could tell her to get in the car.

"What are you doing?"

I asked, looking at the small blood patches on her leg. It looked rather large for just one piece of glass.

"Going to work?"

"Why didn't you wait for me?"

Why didn't she just wait for me to take her.

"I didn't think I was supposed to. I've got to get going, I'm going to be late as it is."

"Just how far do you go?"

"About a 30 minute walk but at this pace I will just be walking in when it's time for me to start."

"I'll take you."

"I really don't want to inconvenience you..."

"You're not. I don't make a habit of letting people inconvenience me or take me for granted and you have done neither besides your little outburst in the hallway earlier."

She hadn't been a huge trouble, besides making Thor a bit more interested in him than normal.

"My bad."

"It's fine Darcy, although I have been waiting on an answer all day to an answer to my question."

"What question?"

"How did you truly get that leg injury?"

"You don't want to know."

Why does she keep saying that? If I didn't care I wouldn't have asked.

"I don't ask questions I don't want to know the answer to."

"You say that now, but...look Loki it's just better for the both of us if you just stop asking me."

Better for the both of us? What did that mean?

"Where do you work?"

"The cleaners and tailor shop over on 3rd and Santa Ana."

I

"What time do you need to be there?"

"4pm"

"We've got time then."

I looked at him my blue eyes widening.

"Time for what?"

"To get food. I'm hungry."

"Oh I don't..."

"I'll still get you to work on time. It will be quick."

I was really hungry, seeing as I had actually participated in gym today, I was ravenous. I pulled into the Sonic and ordered some food, and Darcy ordered what she wanted. She tried to hand me a five, but I turned it down. I never took money from a woman, it just wasn't something I did.

"You didn't have to pay for my stuff I could have gotten it."

"Yeah but like I said why do it when you could have somebody else do it for you."

"Thank you for everything you've done for me today. You didn't have to and I appreciate it."

She was generally grateful unlike others who ordered mountains of food and expected me to pay for it, simply because I could.

"You're welcome. You are lucky I am in a generous mood. Although most people seem to want to use me for what I can give them and you don't. I'd like to say it's a welcome release."

"I don't expect anything from you. Hell I'm still nervous that you aren't plotting on how to set me on fire to keep the valedictorian spot."

"What's your class rank?"

"Umm...15 I think. Why?"

"I just wondered why somebody of your intellect was not number 2."

She was intelligent, and I could tell she knew it, but why she my closet rival in the class rank?

"I could have been number one but my freshman year wasn't the best. If I can get to at least number 5 I would have great chances of getting more scholarships."

"Do you have money for college?"

"No, my family...well let's just say I work hard to help my family. A college fund is not an option."

"Oh...well I am looking for scholarships as well. It's best to start looking now before our senior year rolls around and your scratching your head wondering where you're going to go for college like Thor."

"You guys don't have the money for college?"

"We do. It's just... complicated"

"I must say if I can solve complex matrix problems without a calculator I think I can understand your issues Loki."

"If I take family money I will have to go where my father wants me to go, which is somewhere close. I want to get as far away as possible."

My father wanted me to stay close.

"I understand. I can't wait to be far away from my family. I wish I could do that engineering internship out in California with Stark industries this summer but its way too expensive."

She had an invite to go? That was prestigious, Stark industries only allowed so many the chance to go.

"I plan on going once my mom convinces my dad it is for the best. Don't you have to have an invite to go?"

"Yeah I got one but besides the whole money situation my dad thinks it's nerdy."

"Yeah watch him say that to you when you will have enough money and intellect to take care of him and your mother as well as yourself. He will learn not to be so judgmental."

Darcy could be anything she wanted, it was sad that her family didn't encourage that in her…

"Yea I hope so. Maybe next year after graduation I can get an internship."

"Maybe, although I think Stark industries wants somebody who can stand on their own two feet without doing bodily harm."

She glared at me, causing me to laugh at her. She joined in and I couldn't help but take in her appearance. Why hadn't anyone noticed her before? Shit why hadn't I noticed her before now?


	5. A friend in need is a friend indeed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy does Loki a favor...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh yeah I have a tumblr now so everyone be warned lol I'm fairly random on the thing and I made it so I could look at all the awesome Loki/ Tom Hiddleston pictures and all things Avengers related. Follow if you want :)
> 
> tumblr: singeramg
> 
> name:You Don't Think This is Funny?

Chapter 5: Here in Our Hell

Darcy's Pov:

*One Week and half later* -Friday

My leg had healed enough to start walking on again and that was mostly thanks to having a ride to school and work and only having to walk home from work. I wasn't sure why Loki had designated himself as my chauffeur for the week but he had, and I was grateful despite the nasty rumors that were going around. It bothered me slightly but then again I knew that Sif had started them. I don't know why that girl doesn't just listen when someone tells her the truth. I told her that day in gym that nothing was going on, and for the most part nothing had changed between Loki and I, he still didn't talk to me during the day unless we were in class or our paths happened to cross for some reason or another but she didn't listen to me and now everyone thinks we are together. I asked Loki if he thought we should correct the idea, but he said it's only going to get worse if we do.

I walked down the street half way to school because of my returned normal pace. The normal honk sounded and I turned around puzzled and walked over the passenger side as the window rolled down.

"You got far today."

"Yea I told you I could walk today. My leg is pretty much all better."

"Yeah yeah get in."

Loki said, while unlocking the door. I opened it, tossed my bag inside and got in. He drove off landing himself in the school parking lot much earlier than we normally got there. His music was blaring but I could tell he was thinking, what about I wasn't sure. Loki was an anomaly to me, so different from his brother yet still his own person. Something was...off about him, and I'm not even sure off was the right word to describe it. He was hiding something and I can't be certain of what it is. It's like what he lets everybody see is just a shield for who he really is and he is hiding it. I would like to say I see glimpses of him when he does things like open my door or go out his way to drop me off at work when he could go home, but I know there's more and he just won't show it. I think it has something to do with the mystery bruises he has, I truly hoped he was just in some fight club or something that meant nobody had hit him in the face to cause him pain. I wasn't sure if I could take someone going through what I go through.

My father had been keeping his hands to himself and that was mostly because he knew he messed me up so bad that I should have went to the hospital. I took the small blessing and ran with it, making sure everything was done around the house. My mom didn't have to do anything when she came home and I could tell she liked it, so I hoped to keep it up.

"We are early, want to go inside and wait."

"Are you busy later?"

Loki asked me catching me off guard.

"Umm...No my boss forced me to take the weekend off, she says I've earned a paid couple of days from all the hard work I've done even with a bum leg. Why?"

"My family well they are having guests over for dinner. Some business partners and their god-awful daughter who my parents are trying to set me up with I told them I had plans already since they only told me last night. My mother said I could continue my plans if I took the daughter, and I told them I highly doubt they would want to intrude on another woman date. She would be a third wheel for the evening. My mom says it's fine if I go but I still have to join them for dinner. Then she threw a curveball and ask for the name of the girl and I panicked and Itoldheritwasyou."

He said the last words so fast that I barely caught them. All I heard was "you".

"Loki slow down, what did you say?"

"I told her you were the girl I was going out with."

"Okay so leave and disappear into the night. She can think you're going out with me and you don't have to. Enjoy yourself with someone else."

I wasn't sure why it bothered me to tell him to go out with someone else.

"Here's the real problem. You see Thor heard the conversation and has insisted we go out on a double date with him and whatever random girl has caught his eye for the weekend. He knows what you look like so I can't very well change the story, because he will inevitably let it slip that I either lied or made up a date at the last minute with will piss off my father."

I sat still in the car, confused more than I had ever been. Was he asking me out or was this a friend thing?

"So let me guess I'm supposed to go along and play the date for the evening?"

"Well...Yes."

I looked at him and almost wanted to laugh at the nervous look on his face. As much as the thought of watching some random girl climb all over Thor all night did not appeal to me, I could tell he really didn't have a backup plan and damn his for the wide green puppy dog eyes he didn't even realize he had on his face. It was so cute and I didn't have any plans anyway. So what the hell, why not go ahead and go.

"What exactly are we doing tonight?"

His eyes darted to mine and he looked relieved.

"Darcy you are saving my life right now, thank you."

I felt my face heat up at the slight praise and coming from Loki that was an odd feeling to get that from him.

"It's not like my social life is booming right now anyhow. My plans included watching old-reruns of Charmed and music videos until I fell asleep."

I said rolling my eyes with a slight sigh. Its weekends like these that were a downside to not having friends. I could call anyone and head over to their house or go out on the town. It's much harder to hide bruises if you've got people who are looking. As often as my father takes out his aggression on me I could never have anyone over to my house. So tonight I would enjoy myself with normal people and have fun at whatever thing they had planned.

"Well it looks like I interrupted your very fun and exciting evening. Thank you Darcy...wait there isn't any jealous boyfriends that live in the next town or some shit that could try and kill me for taking out his woman is there?"

"Oh no. I'm a nobody remember, trust me nobody is going to even remotely attempt to kick your ass for me Loki."

He nodded and we got out the car, walking toward the school, while he remained silent, I was really hoping he wasn't rethinking his decision to take me out to put on a front of his brother.

"So you still haven't told me where we are going."

I said breaking the silence

"Thor let his date choose the first activity. Her choice was the movies, undoubtedly some flowery romantic movie she plans to use to sway Thor toward her being the one."

I laughed a little at his statement. Hopefully that wasn't he thought all girls did to get guys. If we chose a romance movie it was because we truly wanted to see it, well at least that was why I would choose to see a movie like that.

"What is so funny?"

"Does she truly think like that or is that your generalization for all girls?"

"I'm not sure. Thor hasn't told me his date's name but I'm sure that is her thinking."

"Just for your future reference not all women choose romance movies to endear you to us. If we've chosen them it's because we wanted to see them. Personally to me there's nothing wrong with a good RomCom but at the same time a good action movie works just fine. What are we seeing?"

"The new Nicholas Sparks movie."

I cringed those movies were always so very predictable and I was going to be bored out of my mind.

Noticing my reaction it was Loki's turn to laugh at me.

"What was that face about?"

"All of those movies are sadly predictable and that's coming from a girl who can never figure out the ending to any movie."

"You can choose the second thing we go and do if you'd like"

I thought over the possibilities of what to do, and it hit me of something I hadn't done since I was every young because I didn't have anyone to go with.

"We should go bowling!"

"Bowling?"

"Yes bowling! It could be fun, I haven't done it since I was 8 years and it will give me a chance to kick your butt at something that is not academic."

"Really, you think you could win against me?"

"We will see when I WIN won't we? Wait you don't have a bowling alley in your house do you? Because if you do that is total cheating."

He laughed at me.

"No, we don't have a bowling alley on this property, now ask about the house my father owns in Miami and the answer will be different."

"Figures. Let's go to class and get settled, I think we start on that new project today and I want to get ahead on the reading so it will take less time to actually do the work…"

*In Class*

"Before we get started today, we have some business to take care of. Mr. Williams has decided this class is not something he can continue on with so out of curtsey of everyone else in the class he has left us, but now we have an uneven number from all of the other people that have also made that choice. Poor Jane is going to be left without a partner and I am moving her to another group."

I eyed the teacher and I knew what was coming.

"So Odinson and Lewis, you're turning into my three unless something happens and we become even again."

I looked at Loki who was not happy that we had to turn into a three, especially when he barely wanted to be a pair before. Jane who I had never talked to before was nervously shifting her weight between her feet. I couldn't help be feel for the girl, working with two people you've never talked to before is bad enough, but I knew Loki had an angry ass look on his face and I wasn't even looking at him. I turned to do so only to find I was right.

"Loki, play nice."

"Look at the girl she is going to drag the whole project behind,"

"The teacher wouldn't have put her with us if she wasn't at least somewhat level with us. Don't scare the poor girl."

Loki looked at me at the corner of his eye, and then he rolled them.

"Just try."

Jane walked over to us with her stuff and sat it on the table that was directly in front of us. Then she turned a chair around so she could face us. Her hair was shoulder length and blonde, and she was about the same height as me, nervously she introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Jane Foster; I guess we are going to be working together."

"Clearly, since you are here."

Loki said with the same tone he used with me when he first met me. I took the second the kick my leg out beside me and heard the satisfying yelp of pain. I smirked and Jane bit back a laugh.

"Hi Jane I'm Darcy Lewis, and this pleasant young man next to me is Loki Odinson."

"Nice to meet you Darcy, Loki. Hey I think you guys are in my gym class. Last period, Freeman right?"

I nodded and realized she was right. She sat by herself mostly unless she wanted to shoot around in the gym. Jane smiled at my nod and started opening her book.

"Mr. Randall said we are starting the project this week. Have you guys read the chapter yet?"

"Yeah, we read it before class, we are ready to start."

"Darcy, I'm sure Jane has to read it first."

Loki said, trying to make his point about her lagging behind.

"Oh no, I read it over the weekend seeing as I thought I was going to have to do the project by myself. He kept telling me he was looking for a way to drop this class."

Jane luckily had missed the double meaning in Loki's words and smiled on as she spoke about her partner.

"He wanted to drop after all the work he had put in after the first half."

I asked with a questioning look on my face.

"Said he wanted to focus on his other AP courses and couldn't handle being in this class and trying to do his extra-curriculars, so something had to give and it was this class."

Loki was silent and I think he wasn't sure how to behave with Jane. He wanted to dislike her, because he dislikes almost everyone, yet she had a lot of the same qualities we had in getting stuff done beforehand. He opened his book and started working on the project, we followed suit once we saw what he had started on. I really hoped we could all get along…

*After School*

"So our dinner is at 6 and the movie starts at 8:25, I will pick you up from your house at 7:45 okay."

I panicked slightly, I really didn't want my father seeing him, because he may over react or maybe already drunk by 7. Shit, how could I get Loki to pick me up from somewhere else?

"Umm… Instead of coming all the way to my house why don't you just meet me there?"

"I can pick you up; it's on the way there, besides how does that look if I don't arrive with my date?" Loki raised his eyebrow at the word date.

"Oh, okay well just call me when you're on the way then."

"Aren't you going to give me your address?" Loki asked me while he leaned on the side of the car.

I was in such a rush to get walking home so I didn't have to answers in questions about my panicking behavior, that I didn't give him the address before I started walking away.

"Oh yeah, here I'll write it down."

I tore a sheet of paper from my bag and dug around for a pen, until I found one. Writing down my address I handed it to him.

"Thank you, but I think your forgetting something."

"What this time?"

"If you want me to call you before I arrive, then you might want to give me your phone number."

He said with a smirk on his face, to which I took the paper with my address on it back from him and wrote my number down on the other side. He took it from me and unlocked the car door so he could get inside.

"I'll see you later Loki."

I started walking away from the car and he called out.

"Darcy what is wrong with you, get in the car."

"Nothing is wrong with me, I'm going home. If I plan on going anywhere tonight, I have to clean the house first."

"I can give you a ride, gives you time to get everything done that you're supposed to."

"It's cool I can walk."

"Get in the car Darcy"

Loki said rolling his eyes and looking forward frustrated. Rather than argue the situation, I got in. He was going to see my house sooner or later anyway. He pulled away once the door shut and he started going down the street when I realized I needed to go to the ATM and get money for the night.

"Hey can you run over to the 7-eleven really quick I need to get something."

He nodded and turned the car toward the direction of the nearest 7- eleven. When he pulled in I expected him to stay in the car, but he didn't followed me into the store. I settled on a slurpee and then walked over the ATM machine.

Loki walked next me, energy drink in hand after he had paid.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting some money out of the machine for later, we might not have time to stop later and I need some cash."

"What do you need money for? Thor and I are paying for everything anyways." He said then he took a sip of his drink.

"I don't expect you to because I'm not your real date. I have every intention of paying for my own stuff tonight."

"Just because you have the intentions on doing so, does not mean I'm going to let you."

"What?"

"I'm letting you and Thor won't either it's how we were raised, our mother would literally cut us off and yell at us into the next week if we dared to let our dates for the evening pay for anything. Our friends are different stories but they all think we are really on a date, so Thor will scold me if anything else. Besides, if I expected you to pay for anything I would have told you to pay me back as I have done to many others in the past."

"Fine, but I'm still getting money out because I don't like to walk around without it."

"If you insist."

He left and went back out into the car and I pulled off what I needed and left getting in car where he dropped me off and pulled away...

*Later that night-7:00*

What was I supposed to wear? I looked at the time and panicked slightly. Cleaning took longer than I thought it would seeing as my dad had practically trashed the house during the day, so I had only just finished cleaning up. I needed to shower so I held back on thinking about clothes and rushed to take a shower...

*5 Minutes later*

Now...what to wear? I'm not exactly sure why I was freaking out about this but I was.

"What do you wear to fake a date?"

I looked at my closet and rolled my eyes. I didn't have much to work with. I decided on a black and gold top and a pair of dark wash jeans. I did my hair leaving it down then being in the ponytail I had it in most of the time. My make up was fairly light and I decided on natural colored eye shadow to go with the gold in my shirt which now that I was looking at it was more low cut then I remembered. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I knew I was out of time to change my top and I needed to get downstairs.

"Hello."

"Darcy?"

"This is she."

"Good, umm I'm turning onto your street now."

"Okay good, I'll meet you outside."

"Fine."

We hung up and I ran to grab my pocketbook and phone that was in my room and then I was almost out the door when I heard.

"Where are you going?"

My dad said leaning on the door frame from the kitchen to the living room. He wasn't drunk yet and that was always a good sign.

"Oh some friends of mine from school invited me to go see that new movie by the sparks guy, then maybe going to do some bowling if we feel up to it."

"Oh I thought you would be here all night."

"It was so last minute dad that I forgot to tell you. I wasn't going to go but they goaded me and I haven't been out in god knows how long."

"Fine, go out and have fun. Just beat your mother home; I don't wanna hear her mouth about where you are."

"Thanks dad. Did you have enough cash on you for some pizza?"

I asked him as a subtle way to make sure he ate to counteract any drinking he may do and plus he had to eat or else he might take it out on my mom when she got home.

"Dang, Darcy got enough to swing some pizza for your old man?"

I dung in my purse and pulled out 30 dollars for pizza and wings and to get it delivered with having some left over hopefully. I knew better than to hand it to him knowing he's throws a fit from accepting money from his daughter. I sat it on the table in the hallway and said bye for the night. I was coming out of the house just in time to see Loki pull up. I wasted no time getting into the car with him.

"That was fast, didn't even give me time to announce my arrival. Excited are we?"

"To get out of my house...yes."

"You really don't get out much do you?"

He asked laughing and changing the radio station.

"Not nearly as much as I should. Anyways, how did dinner go?"

Loki snorted and even in the darkness of the car I could tell he was rolling his eyes.

"Annoying, my parents are such meddling people. I have repeatedly told them that I have no interest in that girl what so ever yet they insist on forcing us together every chance they get. I told them I was going on a date, in fact me and Thor would both be going on dates, but they were struck with the brilliant idea that she should tag along, because god knows she was dressed to go bowling."

I stifled back and laugh but it didn't work, listening to Loki ramble was sometimes the funniest thing ever because he just goes on and in and his Tone of voice changes with his emotion it's quite a funny thing to witness if anybody ever got to see that part of him.

"I'm serious just wait until you meet her. She's a total spoiled brat, and our parents have filled her mind that we weren't "destined to be together" and it's "been set since birth" and all that bullshit jazz. I'm starting to think I'm betrothed and they aren't sure how to break it to me."

"I thought generally first born are the betrothed ones."

"It doesn't matter; it's all about what benefits the company. Therefore it's me."

I could tell that this was something that bothered him. Hell it would bother me if my parents tried to plan my life constantly and I had to fight for what I wanted all of the time.

"I think it's going to work out to where you won't have to be with her. You are going to have to show them all that you and she aren't a match and she is not what you want. Show your parents that you would be unhappy with her, maybe they will back off.

"Not my father he sees what he wants and he takes it. No questions asked if he sets his mind into seeing me with their daughter it's done."

I felt bad for Loki, I mean to have all that wealth and for what? To have it hung over your head and being controlled by it. His father sounded like a prick but I didn't badger, it wasn't my place to do so, I learned the hard way that you don't get involved in anything that isn't your business.

"Maybe? Maybe not? You have the power to control your life, because it's your life and no one else's..."

*At the Movie Theater*

The conversation about his familial obligations stopped as soon as we got out the car. In the light I finally got to see what he was wearing. He had on a long sleeved black button down and dark jeans with a nice pair of black shoes, and a gold plated watch. I wouldn't admit this out loud but he looked hot, and I found myself starring longer than I should have.

"You look nice."

Loki said to me breaking me out of my gaze, and causing me to give a slight smile.

"Thank you, you look nice too, I take it you had to dress for the dinner."

"I dressed with both events in mind."

He opened the door for me and I went in looking around and then I saw Thor standing next to the two most singlehandedly beautiful girls I had ever seen, and for some reason I felt something that was like I had been disappointed, unworthy even. I suddenly didn't feel like hanging out anymore, and wanted to go home. I wondered why Loki even bothered with this fake date, when he and his brother had girls like that waiting at their beck and call. Thor waved from across the lobby when he spotted us. The girls gazed turned onto us and I thought I would instantly be turned to stone. The girl on Thor's right which I assumed to be his date, by the way she was hanging off of him, had long blonde hair that came almost to the waist and deep set green eyes. She was wearing a skin tight black mini-skirt and a red halter top. She was the perfect description of a model and I could clearly see why she was with Thor, thought not so clear as to why she was glaring at me, along with the other girl who must be Loki's intended. Why doesn't he want her? She had dark hair that came to the middle of her back that she had taken the time to expertly curl into bouncy ringlets at the ends, her eyes were ocean blue and there was not a hair and swipe of make-up out of place. She like the other girl had on a skirt but hers was much loser and was white, while she wore a pink top covered with a sliver half-sweater.

"Good you're here, now we can get our tickets." Thor said with a huge smile on his face.

"Before we step in line, Thor I'm not sure if you've properly met, but this is Darcy Lewis, Darcy this is Thor, my brother."

"I don't think we have, nice to meet you finally."

Thor shook my hand and I pretended not to see the small smile he gave to Loki. Loki, who I had just now looked at, had an undoubtedly angry look on his face. Was it something I did?

"How nice to see you again Loki!" The blonde woman stepped forward, hugging Loki who stepped as far away as he could from her body that was attempting to mash against his.

"Now, don't be rude, introduce me to your…"Friend"." She said moving back to Thor's side.

"Oh yes, how rude of ME." Loki had a distinct attitude that I wasn't sure I wanted to be in the crossfire of, part of me said run now, but the other said just to chill and watch. I was confused as to what was going on here.

"Darcy, I would like you to meet Thor's date for the evening, Amora, and to the left of Thor was the other young lady I mentioned would be joining us tonight, Sigyn"

I shook both of their hands although Sigyn acted like she barely wanted to touch me, but I didn't really care. Thor smiled and pulled Loki away so they could buy the tickets leaving me with the two sharks that I am very sure has plans to try and rip my head off.

"So, I have never even heard of you before."Said Amora, who started sliding her own fingers under her chin, and then crossing her arms across her chest, with a fake smile plastered on her face.

"I don't think I've heard of you either, where do you attend school?"

I said politely as possible to her.

"We both attend St. Margery's in the next town over.

I had heard of that school, in fact their team was second best in the state compared only behind ours, and that was because of Thor. Most of the kids that went there had a serious class issue. Automatically because I did not attend their high school I was less of a person, and until I did I would never be worthy of breathing the same air as them and definitely not supposed to be on a date with one of the boys from the richest families in the state.

"I've heard it's a great school. Do you guys like attending there?"

"Yes I suppose, you know getting a better education and all of that. Plus the Starbucks in the school doesn't make it bad either. I take it you go to school with Loki and Thor?"

I thought that was a rumor… Wow those kids really have damn Starbucks in their cafeteria?

"Yes, I do."

" I swear I've tried so many times to convince Thor and Loki come to our school and stop wasting time at a place with those that are beneath him and where he could get a better chance at being noticed for whatever college he wants to go to rather than hope some second rate college recruiter comes to that school."Amora said haughtily, while Sigyn snickered in the background.

I was getting tired of the underhanded degrading comments and we hadn't even gotten started into the night good.

"Well maybe that is a good idea, because while he may not attend your school, he might have a better chance at more schools wanting him because he attends a public school. Although with Thor being who he is on the field, I'm sure he has plenty of prospects lined up for school and more than likely on a full ride."

Amora smirked, while Sigyn glared again and I breathed a silent sigh of relief when Loki and Thor came back over to us, tickets in hand.

"Alright, any snacks for your ladies, because I know I'm getting something."

Thor said leading us toward the snack line. Sigyn shook her head no, while Amora ordered a large bin of popcorn, small soda, and some candies and Thor ordered a nacho, large drink and two boxes of candies.

"I thought you guys ate before you came?"

I whispered to Loki, who laughed and said

"We did. Imagine what he would have gotten if we didn't."

I laughed at that thought that had been inputted into my mind. Thor would have been a fortune just on snacks alone.

"Would you like anything?" Loki asked politely while placing his hand on my lower back. I did my best not to jump and let him guide me into the line behind Thor."

"Umm…Can I get some popcorn and a small soda?"

"Sure, is that all you want?"

"Yea, I haven't even eaten dinner yet, so I don't want to ruin it by being full on junk."

"You didn't eat before now?"

"No, I told you I had a lot of housework to do before I got ready to leave; in fact I almost wasn't ready by the time you called. I literally was in a towel about 10 minutes before you called me."

"Towel eh?"

I blushed and looked away from Loki who was smirking at me. I cannot believe I just told him I was in a towel right before he got there.

"Yes, umm… new subject what did you have for dinner, maybe it will give me some ideas on what I want to cook for tomorrow."

"Oh but wait, let's talk about this towel situation. What color was it?"

I blushed even harder and elbowed him lightly in the ribs.

"I'm not telling you Loki."

"This is amusing, look at you all flushed and embarrassed."

I rolled my eyes and looked away only to see Sigyn pretending not to look at us then she spoke up.

"Maybe she is just sparing you mental image Loki. Be grateful and stop pestering the girl."

I looked at her and it took all of me not to slap her. "Sparing him the mental image" really? Maybe it was time to get a little even. If I'm going to fake it, I might as well make sure to let her know she doesn't have him tonight.

"Or maybe I don't want to ruin the surprise later. He can see for him rather than have me botch the description."

I said putting my hand on his that was arm closest to me. Loki went with the flow and moved his hand from my back to my hip. Sigyn did her best not to react although she had anger all in her eyes.

"I see, well I'm sure he would."

She did a childish attempt to play it off as it no big issue, but inside it tore her up that Loki might get the chance to see me in a towel, not that she knew it wouldn't happen anytime soon. Loki on the other hand got a kick out of it and laughed and we walked up the counter where I told the worker what I wanted and he ordered some candy and a drink for him then joined me in waiting at the other end after he paid. Sigyn had walked away to wait with Thor and Amora and I turned away to talk to Loki where they could see what we were saying.

"You weren't lying about her. Although she is pretty, I'm sure many guys could over look the vapid shallowness."

"I'm sure they could, but I cannot."

He carried took the drinks from the person behind the counter and I took the food which wasn't a lot to carry compared to Thor and Amora. We walked into the semi-dark theater and of course Amora and Thor separated from us and left us with Sigyn. She sat on one side and I sat on the other, effectively being able to ignore her. I was glad I this wasn't a real date or else I would be every irritated right about now...

*Leaving the Movie Theater*

"If I never have to sit through another one of those movies again, it will be too soon."

I said tossing the popcorn bag into the trash. Loki agreed by shaking his head while he held the door open.

"I thought it was an amazing movie! You know how real life romance can occur when you at least expect it, even when you push it away."

Sigyn said moving closer to Loki, who did his best not to cringe. I laughed and turned it into a cough when she looked at me. Thor came out holding hands with Amora who had a few sappy tears in her eyes. I rolled my eyes at that too. Another movie across the hall opened up and patrons from that movie poured into the hallway and of course guess who comes out of the movies were Thor's friends. Sif's eyes found mine and she smirked like she knew she was right.

"Thor! Sup man!" Said Fandral while they joined us off the side, Hogun and Volstagg crowded in as well.

"Fandral, Sif guys what are you doing here?"

"We decided that we wanted to see that new action movie, Olympus has fallen."

"How was it? That was the movie I wanted to see."

I asked hoping to fit in a bit better, and keep them focused on the action of the movie and that that fact that I was there with Loki.

"It was awesome! Explosions, Gerard Butler kicked some major ass."

"Well I see you just left the most romantic movie of the year, and all look cozy, Amora, Sigyn nice to see you again. Darcy I'm surprised to see YOU with them all."

"Umm...yeah I was invited by...Loki."

"Clearly."

Sif said sarcastically then turned back to Thor.

"So are you guys going to that sick party over in the hills tonight or what?"

"What party?"Asked Amora.

"Miles' parents are out of town and they totally gave him permission to throw a party while they are gone. It's tonight!"

I silently wondered what type of parents let their child host a party for a bunch of other teenagers unsupervised. Sad to say, but I didn't get the feeling these parties weren't all too uncommon.

"We should go Thor!"

Amora said with her eyes lit up.

"Yeah, that sounds a lot more fun than...what were we doing again? Bowling." Said Sigyn with an eye roll.

"Bowling? Whose lame idea was that?"

Asked Sif

"Mine. Hell I hadn't been in a long time and I'd thought it would be fun to play."

I said confidently, while on the inside I wanted to shrink until I disappeared.

"Yea, because wearing others shoes and all germs are just a hell of a lot of fun. You guys in?"

Sif said then turned away facing Thor who at the time was staring at Loki. I'm sure it was one of those silent 'Run' moments. I didn't respond to her crass comment and sunk back into the background.

"We are so in!" Amora said and beginning to pull Thor toward the doors toward the lobby. Sif smirked and walked away. Everybody except Loki and I followed her while Loki touched my arm to get me to stop.

"Are you okay?"

He asked with a concerned look on his face.

"About the change of plans? I'm fine, not really dressed for a party I don't think, but we can still hang with your friends if I want."

"You look fine, how you are dressed is irrelevant, I meant the way Sif behaved, it was incredibly rude. If would like not to go then we don't have to."

"No, it's cool we can go, your friends really want you to go and everything…"

"Correction, Thor's friends want him to go. If I went or not it wouldn't make a difference to them."

"Yeah, but if you don't go then they will blame me for it, and then I'll never hear the end of Sif's mouth on why you didn't join them."

"Sif is… Sif well she's…got some issues with me and she's taking them out on you. Nothing you decide will change that."

"Well I'm not ready to go home just yet, so we can go to the party."

"As long as you're okay with it, then I'm good with going."

I nodded and followed him to the car...

*Party*

We pulled up to this large mansion house with people spilling out the front door, the music blaring loudly from the house. Loki looked at me and said

"We aren't going to be here long. I'm going in just to show my face and said I came and then we can leave."

I felt suddenly self-conscious in the moment. Why didn't he want to go to the party? Was it me? Maybe he didn't want to be seen with me, and he was doing the minimum by showing his face and getting me the hell away from them all before I could do any real damage to his reputation.

"You know if you want me to, I can just wait for you in the car."

"No I don't want you to be in the car, at night, alone. Come inside, besides your doing a great job of keeping Sigyn off me."

"Fine, let's get this over with."

I said swinging open my door, shutting it, and starting to walk to the door before he even got out the car. With his long legs he caught up with me and grabbed my arm.

"Wait a second Darcy. Wait, what is the matter with you? You are the one that said you didn't mind going to the party, now you are angry."

"I'm fine."

I said just wanting to go inside and get this farce over with. Loki on the other hand wasn't letting the issue go and he stopped me again.

"Do not lie to me; it's not your strong suit Darcy. Now what's really wrong?"

"Look if you don't want to be seen with me in a place like this then I understand. I mean mean a dark movie theater is one thing but with all your friends, you don't have to even go in with me."

"Darcy...I'm not saying I want to go in and out if the party quickly because of you. I really don't like these parties much because all they do is get drunk, high or both and then have sex. For me they don't hold much appeal. I only come to make sure Thor doesn't do something stupid and ruin himself and his future. It has nothing to do with you."

He was staring at me waiting for a response that I couldn't give him. I knew this whole thing was based around my childish need to hide myself away from the world and not drag anyone down with me. Realizing I wasn't going to respond to his words he grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door...

*36 minutes later*

"No wonder you have to watch Thor at these parties. This is crazy."

I said to Loki while staring at room with the party raging around us. Red Solo cups littered the ground while the music was damn near deafening. True to form Thor was in the middle of the floor, red cup in hand Amoral dancing in front of him and some random girl dancing behind him.

"Yes, you see our father won't blame Thor for this, he will blame me, and will get pissed at me for letting Thor do something stupid."

Loki said shaking his head and moving away from the view of Thor grinding his front into Amora's backside. I followed his lead and turned away.

"Ugh...I'll go get you another drink, stay here."

Loki left me standing avoiding the directly Thor awkwardness that would be in my line of sight if I turned back around. I was shimmying to the music slightly when I felt somebody tap my shoulder. I turned around and Sif was standing there smiling at me, plastic cup in hand.

"Enjoying the party Darcy?"

"Oh Umm...well yeah, I guess. I don't really go to parties and stuff, so I guess for the sake of spending time out of the house this is...nice."

She smirked and looked around at the party then back at me.

"Yeah Nice. So I could have sworn you told me you and Loki weren't interested in each other. Yet, here you are, with him, on a date."

"It's just one date, just to umm...see how things could play out."

I said trying to cover up the fact that I was here as a favor to him.

"It's just...I'm here as a friend, because I want to spare your feelings Dar Dar. It's like this...Loki is just using you for a fix. All he will do is have sex with you and leave you. You are too nice of a girl to let go through all of that. I'm warning you now so that you will not get your hopes up."

I was conflicted on whether to laugh in her face and just to tell her how wrong she was, or if I was going to punch her in the face and tell her off. I mean come on! Was her so called 'help' even necessary? She must have forgotten I wasn't stupid and that I wasn't born yesterday. Even if this was real to me and Loki did want to date me, she wasn't telling me this information because she liked me and wanted me to succeed, no she was telling me so that I would not be interested in him.

"Sif, I think it's totally awesome of you to want to 'help' me but I'm a big girl. I can handle Loki. Should things not work out I'll pick myself up by the bra straps and continue my life no different than I have been. So thanks for the advice and all and I'll keep it in mind."

Sif's face turned slightly red as she realized that I was not giving up easy.

"You think you know everything don't you!"

She snapped on me. I looked at her confused and stepped back.

"What are you talking about? I haven't said anything. All I said to you was that I can take care of myself."

"No, you seem to really think that you of all people belong here. That's what is sad about this. I'm trying to warn you and you just won't listen!"

Her eyes flashed in anger, and it hit me that she wasn't trying to warn me off of Loki she honestly thinks we don't belong together because I'm not in with her normal group of friends. I didn't have time to respond because she continued.

"You think that Loki would honestly choose you when he could have any respectable girl of his choosing? I mean look at you, your definition of date night clothing is converse and jeans. He has the world at his feet and he deserves to have the right type of girl standing beside him, on his arm. Sorry to tell you Darcy Lewis, but that will never be you."

I looked at her, my mind in shock of just how blatantly cruel she was being. As much as this wasn't a date, that hurt. I knew in my heart of hearts that I didn't truly stand a chance with Loki outside of the obvious acquaintanceship we had but I realized now that maybe she was kind of right. I would never stand a chance in the social circle in Loki's world. I would always be the outsider girl with no real money, looks or connections. I'd always be just Darcy Lewis, never enough of any of them. Her words were also a reminder to the life I truly led, the poor, dumpy girl who supported her family, and who got her ass kicked for a spot on the bathroom mirror. No, I'd NEVER fit in. I felt hot tears sting the back of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall in front of Sif. It would give her too much pleasure to bring me down to that state.

"I know it's a tough roll to play Darcy, you know the invisible one, but somebody has got to play it. Besides I think Loki will be just fine with that."

She pointed behind me where my eyes caught sight of Loki lip locked to Sigyn the crowd jeering and watching them. If that wasn't the biggest sign that this was a bad idea coming to this party then I don't know what else would be. My throat was burning at the effort I was making not to cry.

"You know what? I think I better go home, I'm...just..."

I said not completing my sentence in favor of turning toward the doors.

"Yeah, I think you might want to do that. Good night Darcy."

Sif said to me the nastiest smirk on her face. She won and she knew she did and I didn't have the nerve to say anything in response. I moved past her and walked out the front door. Finally letting the tears fall down my face not sobbing until I had reached the end of the massive driveway. I began to walk toward the direction of my house. I didn't really have any other way to get home and anything was better than going back in the party to have to pry Loki away from the great time he was having to make him take me home. I couldn't say without certainty that I wasn't crying about Loki kissing Sigyn, even though I didn't have a right to be upset because we weren't romantically involved and this night wasn't even a real date, but if he wanted to play games with the girl then he should have left me out of it. I was embarrassed, because not only did I Sif look me dead in my face and tell me I didn't belong, but now I was a laughing stalk, here I am his DATE for the evening to everyone, yet there he is kissing another girl. The asshat could have warned me that he was about to go make out with her then I could have left or found a ride or something but no he made sure everybody knew I wasn't a factor to him anymore.

I guesstimated I was about an hour walk away from home judging from the 15 minute drive it took to get to this area. It was a nice neighborhood so I wasn't really too worried about someone attacking me but still walking alone, at night, in a strange neighborhood was creepy. I sniffled and wiped my face before deciding to take a moment and pull myself together before I got myself hurt by not paying attention. I sat down on a curb not far from a street lamp but enough so I was partially shielded. I wanted to go home; I dug in my purse and found that I left LaSalle plugged in at home.

"Damn it!"

I really could use some pick me up music right now, and in all my excitement I left my iPod at home and was forced to listen to my own thoughts. I stood up and kept walking and contemplating. I couldn't decide if I was more upset that he had embarrassed me or that I wasn't the one he wanted to kiss. It was frustrating. Then I heard the familiar car engine I had begun to get used to hearing behind me. Pissed I walked faster and the car engine cut off and its driver got out of the car.

"Darcy, what on earth are you doing? Are you lost or something?"

Loki said while I kept marching on, pretending I didn't hear him. He jogged up to me pulling me to a stop. I tried to shake him off but that caused him only to grab both my arms to get me to stop moving.

"Darcy wait just a second! What is your problem?!"

"I'm fine! Let me go so I can get home!"

"Really? If there is no problem then why are you stomping around in a neighborhood you don't know, at night looking all pissed off when you have a perfectly good ride right here."

"I'd rather walk if you don't mind. Now Let. Me. Go."

I said hitting him as much as I could with him grasping my arms the way that he was. His response was to hold on tighter.

"No. Darcy what is your fucking problem?"

"My 'fucking problem' is that you invite ME out to hang with your friends just so I can be the laughing stalk of the evening! The next time you want to impress everybody by having "options" for female entertainment of the night then leave me the fuck out of it okay!"

"Options for female entertainment. What are you talking about? I have not been entertained all evening, in fact I was about to ask you if you wanted to leave and maybe get some real food, but I come back to where I left you and you were gone."

"Well I'm sure Sigyn would be happy to go anywhere you and your friends want. I'm sure she would fit right the hell in. I on the other hand want to go home."

"Did you pop a pill or something? Why would I take Sigyn anywhere? I can barely get away from the stench of her desperate need as it stands. Could you imagine what it would be like if I actually took her somewhere? No, I'll pass on that."

He said confusing the shit out of my already jumbled mind.

"So you just like to mind fuck her by making out with her in a room crowded full of people while you're on a 'date' with someone else? No wonder the poor girls confused you got her all twisted up with promises and confusing actions. I don't blame her for clinging on to what she can get from you. Like I said Loki you wanna play games with her, you know keep her all wet and shit for you by playing with her emotions then that's between you and her. Just don't use and embarrass me to do it. Hell I'd be a lot less pissed off if you had just told me when you invited me you have something going on with her."

I vented, my eyes wishing I could melt him on the spot rather than just make a few traitor tears slide from the corners of my eyes. Loki looked perplexed for moment before he caught up with me words and they clicked into place.

"You saw that kiss didn't you?"

"Of course I did! Why else do you think I'm leaving you ass! You should have just fucking told me! I would feel like less if a dumbass right now if you had!"

"Darcy you obviously didn't watch long enough, because if you had you would have seen me push her away from me. I had nothing to do with her bold action to suddenly kiss me, although I think that had a lot to do with the punch she's been drinking from like a fish since we arrived. Trust me that it one crazy boat I never want to get on."

"So you didn't kiss her?"

"Not of my own volition. No I did not. She griped at me when I told her to sober up and walked away but I wasn't about to indulge her. I'm sorry if you felt embarrassed, that was never my intention for the night, and I was hoping you'd have a good time, but I guess you not."

I felt like a complete and total jerk about going off on him to way that I did. My shoulders slumped and he let me go.

"Loki, I should be apologizing. I should have asked before jumping to conclusions. I'm just not that type if girl who is used to getting embarrassed in front of huge crowds..."

"I would hope that you aren't used to that. Now if you want I can take you home."

"Now that I have effectively ruined the night, I think that might be for the best."

"You haven't ruined anything. Although I think you might wanna rethink giving me heart attacks in the future. Let's go."

I followed him to the car, childishly happy to learn that he turned down Sigyn's affections although that didn't change what Sif had said about me. This whole nice, let-me-drive-you-around and be cool thing would be over soon and I'd fade into the background like I had been good at my whole life. I guess it wouldn't hurt to get one last ride in the nice car.

"Alright... Hey but what about Thor he can't be okay to drive?"

"I took care of that already."

He closed my door and got in the car driving off back toward the city, where he pulled into this small little restaurant I had never paid much attention to.

"What are we going here?"

"You have not eaten and I'm hungry again therefore we are going to dinner."

He said matter-of-factly before sliding out the car and opening my door so I could get out. The smell of heavenly food assaulted my nostrils as the hostess sat us down at a booth toward the back of the restaurant. The waiter took our drinks orders of water for me and for him and I was left to look around at the room while words like "never fit in" and "you'll never belong floated around in my head. The place was nice but still casual with low lighting and no fake photos and tacky movie memorabilia hanging from the walls. It nice in its simplicity and I wondered how he knew of it."

"So Darcy I take it you've never been here before?"

"Umm...no. I don't get the chance to get out to eat often. How many times have you eaten here?"

He thought about it for a few seconds.

"Maybe 3 times since its opening in January. My mother likes this place a lot, but Thor and my father don't so we don't visit often. They have a great selection of food and excellent service so my mother enjoys it. The other two times I have came here, have been with her for lunch. I hope Italian food is okay with you."

"It's fine. In fact it's my favorite."

The corners of Loki's mouth turned slightly upwards but he smothered the smile and looked at his menu and I did the same as the waiter sat our drinks and basket of bread down on the table. Loki wasted no time grabbing a piece and cutting into it with a pat if butter and I followed lead.

"So are you close with your mom or do you like forcibly engage for lunch with her?"

I asked then taking a bite of the bread that freaking melted in your mouth on contact.

"She and I are close. We bond on intellectual levels so we can sit over food and talk and she is a great listener. Now Thor is the one she has to drag out on his ear to get any time spent with her. I think that us just how we are. I like to spend time with our mother and he likes to spend time with our father."

I laughed a bit.

"So your father has to drag you to spend time with him. You and Thor are such opposites yet so alike."

"Yes. I guess we are..."

The night continued with more conversation although Loki redirected a lot of questions about his family and turned them either into entirely new questions without answering them or back onto me which got me to stop asking questions about his parents and we just kept up a natural conversation.

*At Darcy's House*

Loki parked on the street in front of my house, and although it wasn't late the house appeared like everyone was sleeping. I could only truly hope.

"Thank you for getting me out the house for the night and thank you for some of the most delicious Italian food I have ever had."

I said smiling.

"Not a problem. You could have not come tonight and forced me to fight Sigyn off with a stick, it was the least I could do for you Darcy."

"You still had to fight her off."

"Yea, but you staved off the worst. Besides you aren't such bad company to have on a Friday night. Not sure why you spend so much of your time at home."

He said looking at me.

"Yeah, well that's the way the cookie crumbles I'm that girl. But I'm okay with that."

"I'm not. It is something we will have to change."

I smiled although I knew that this was probably something that would never happen again. Inevitably, (probably on Monday) when he got back to his crowd of friends he would realize I'm just the goofy girl with reading glasses that you don't take out to parties, but you keep as a lab partner. Loki I guess had no intentions on faltering on his gentlemanly role because he got out the car again to open and close my door for me. Or this could have been his need to protect his car, I wasn't sure which at the moment but I don't care.

"We shall see. Thanks for the ride, I see you at school on Monday."

I hadn't realized the moment was getting close to an awkward goodbye and I was kinda shocked when it snuck up on us. Loki seemed to battling with himself and I decided to put him out of his misery for having something to say back to me and started to walk away.

"Goodnight Loki."

"Wait."

He reached out taking my small wrist in one of his hands, so I stopped.

"Something about our evening has been bugging me all night and I have been trying to figure out what it could be, and it just dawned on me what it was."

I looked at him confused.

"This has been what was missing all evening."

He erased all of the space between us, pressing his firm lips against mine. Surprised I pulled away after a few seconds. We looked at each other, he was waiting for my response, but my only response was to press myself closer and kiss him back. He moved his hand down to my lower back and the other into my hair pushing my lips closer to his. This kiss was amazing; I was entranced by the delicateness of his touch in combination of the slightly firm kiss. Our lips danced together and I found myself leaning against the car as his tongue brushed against my lips asking for entrance. I granted almost automatically and we kissed until we found ourselves panting for air as we pulled away. I grinning at Loki's lips being red for our kissing, I spoke first.

"I agree, I think that might have been exactly what was missing the whole night."

He gave me the Loki smirk and grasped my face before kissing me gently again, but this was a mere kiss, not one to be dragged on like our previous one just was.

"I'm glad I found the answer to that confounding question. I am also glad you agree with me, I will definitely be parked in this spot on Monday."

"You know I can walk to school it's not that far."

"Why should you walk when you have a ride? Besides we will have more time of this if I drive you, don't you agree?"

I laughed.

"I do see your point."

He moved away so I could stop leaning against his car. I kissed his cheek in a goodbye and started walking toward my front door.

"Goodnight, I will see you on Monday Darcy."

I fought the urge to skip to my front door and waited until I got to the door to turn around and see he was still watching me and only when I was safety inside my house with the door closed did he circle to his side of the car, hop in, and drive off.

I happily gave a small squeal that I was disgusted with myself for doing and turned around in the dark only to trip over something and hit the floor. The light cut on as my mom came up from my room, my iPod in one hand and what I could safely say was my safety stash of cash in the other. I dusted myself off as I stood up.

"Mom what are you doing with my stuff? And that cash is for emergencies only, you know that."

I only dawned on me at the guilty look in her eye to look down at what I tripped over.

Her Suitcases...

*Loki's Pov*

"Loki and Thor you need to dress presentable tomorrow night for dinner. Theoric and his family will be joining us for dinner tomorrow evening and I will not see you two as slobs for it."

I huffed in slight anger and annoyance. I did not want to dine with my father's business partner at all, plus Odin had mentioned the whole family was coming meaning Sigyn was coming, which was someone I tried to avoid at all costs.

"And Loki you will behave yourself around their daughter Sigyn, she seems to have taken a liking to you for some reason and you will not be rude to her like you were last time."

Odin said with a grimace on his face and glaring at me at the same time.

"Father, my intention was not to be rude to her the last time; I merely let her know I was not interested in helping her readjust her bathing suit. I felt she was honestly more than capable of doing that for herself."

My mom didn't respond to my comment, only her face reddened and she took another bite of her food. She was not the biggest fan of Sigyn's tactics to trying to bed her youngest son but she said nothing at the command of Odin who wanted nothing but to make this work for him in the best possible light, so if that meant whoring me off to his business partners' daughter then so be it. I was merely a way to bond the families together. I, on the other hand wanted to gauge my eyes out every time I saw her coming my way. She has this odd theory that we should be together just like the Norse gods were, because of our names. I didn't think so at all, in fact it possibly the dumbest thing she could have came up with in my realm of possible reasons to date someone. She was as shallow as they came; I was always wholly unimpressed with her ability to get lost in looking at her own reflection and her need to whine until she got what she wanted.

"Well for whatever reason she likes you and you will behave yourself."

"Do I have to attend this dinner, I already have plans."

Thor looked at me while putting another piece of chicken unto his plate.

"Plans son?" My mom questioned with a mild curiosity.

"Yes, I have a date."

"A date? With who?!"

Thor asked me with excitement written all over his face, and I wanted to strangle him. He was making this lie increasingly more difficult. He should have known I didn't really have a date with anyone, and that I was making it up to avoid Sigyn who we both knew I had no interest in.

"A young lady from school, she has agreed to go out with me tomorrow night. I can't attend this dinner sorry."

I said dryly, hoping to end the conversation with me getting out of the dinner and I could always disappear to myself for a few hours while the dinner was going on.

"Really? From our school, who is it?"

"Her name is Darcy Lewis, she is in a few of my classes and has impressed me with her intelligence therefore we are going out."

Thor got the biggest shit eating grin on his face. In the heat of the moment I forgot that I had told him I had no former interest in Darcy, and for him to let go of the foolish idea, now I had just told the whole table I was to go on a date with her. SHIT.

"Oh her, that girl you told me you didn't want to date before, well that's great. I have a great idea! We should go out together. I have a date myself for tomorrow evening and we could all go out together."

"That sounds like a great idea son, but you both will still have to join us for dinner, Theoric expects you both there, and I will not disappoint, although you may be excused afterwards."

My mom said smiling at both of us, and I dropped my head into my hand at the table. Thor wasn't going to make this easy for me was he?

"Unless you want to stay here all night Loki?" Our father asked me, knowing the answer would be to stay and entertain Sigyn. I had the sight feeling that he knew I was making the whole 'date' thing up, but rather than bust me out for it, he would make me, make the choice to suffer now or later.

"Fine, we can discuss details later Thor…"

*The Next Day*

I woke up without a solution to the problem I found myself in last night. I couldn't cancel the date, because they would force me to stay with them all night. I wasn't surprised if they weren't going to leave us alone after dinner and make us spend time together. Secretly I think they were all hoping I'd knock her up and force us all together for the rest of our lives. It was a nightmare for me, because the downside to this date was that I didn't really have one for the evening. Thor was expecting me to have a date to take out along with his and I didn't have one. What was worse was that I had said Darcy was going to be my date. She and I didn't have that type of interaction where I just call her up whenever I needed a fix or a helping hand. I had the black book of girls I could call when I needed some female attention, and I knew I could call any number of them and they would all come running to fill the spot, but they would have expectations for the night, and those I would have to fulfill although I didn't really want to. I didn't want to bother with a real date. Honestly I wanted to stay home and work on some more scholarship essays and look into some more summer classes so that I wouldn't be at home all summer and when I was done with that I wanted to finish a book that I had just picked up from the library so I could take it back and get something new. I didn't want to have to entertain anyone other than myself. It was quickly looking like I had no choice. Then the idea hit me, Darcy. I couldn't say without certainly that she would go along with the plan of being my fake date, but right now it was the only viable option seeing as she clearly wasn't interested in me, and I had already brought her into this mess. This might make it awkward if she chose to say no, but nobody could tell me I hadn't tried…

I rode down the street, and waited to see her walk up it, but after two minutes I realized I may have missed her, she had told me she was cool to walk to school but it wasn't bothering me to take her with me to place I was already going, plus I had fun having a battle of smarts with her. It was mildly refreshing to have a conversation that centered on what the latest celebrity trend was, or who was the drunkest on the latest episode of that MTV show. I drove forward, finally seeing her at the half way to school. She certainly had her stride back from what I could tell. I drove up honking my horn at her to get her to turn around. I pulled up beside her, rolling down the window as she stopped and turned toward my car.

"You got far today." I said to her, trying not to seem like I had an agenda at all.

"Yea I told you I could walk today. My leg is pretty much all better."

"Yeah yeah get in."

I unlocked the door and she got in her seat, closing the door and I drove off toward the school. I was still trying to figure out how to approach the idea of my plan to her. She didn't say much on the ride over, telling me she was thinking about something. She bit her lip as she thought a habit I had noticed for some odd reason.

"Well we are early you want to go inside and wait?"

She said starling me although I didn't jump and I nodded getting out the car. I decided now was the best time to ask seeing as nobody was really here yet and I could explain everything before everyone was staring at us.

"Are you busy later?"

"Umm...No my boss forced me to take the weekend off, she says I've earned a paid couple of days from all the hard work I've done even with a bum leg. Why?"

"My family well they are having guests over for dinner. Some business partners and their god-awful daughter who my parents are trying to set me up with I told them I had plans already since they only told me last night. My mother said I could continue my plans if I took the daughter, and I told them I highly doubt they would want to intrude on another woman date. She would be a third wheel for the evening. My mom says it's fine if I go but I still have to join them for dinner. Then she threw a curveball and ask for the name of the girl and I panicked and Itoldheritwasyou."

I found myself blurting out to her. I couldn't actually explain why I was so nervous but even in my nervousness had I ever been unable to say my words eloquently and precise as I always had. It was one of the reasons I got away with a lot of the shit I did. My poker face had no flaws.

"Loki slow down, what did you say?"

She asked me with a small smirk on her face and some confusion.

"I told her you were the girl I was going out with."

"Okay so leave and disappear into the night. She can think you're going out with me and you don't have to. Enjoy yourself with someone else."

She offered as my solution, but of course she had no idea that wasn't the issue at all

"Here's the real problem. You see Thor heard the conversation and has insisted we go out on a double date with him and whatever random girl has caught his eye for the weekend. He knows what you look like so I can't very well change the story, because he will inevitably let it slip that I either lied or made up a date at the last-minute with will piss off my father."

"So let me guess I'm supposed to go along and play the date for the evening?"

She offered to me. I was relived she had caught on, but for some reason left feeling somewhat slighted because she didn't jump to the conclusion of this being a date.

"Well...Yes."

"What exactly are we doing tonight?"

Oh thank the Norse gods, she was okay with this. She had no idea the amount of life saving she was doing right now.

"Darcy you are saving my life right now, thank you."

"It's not like my social life is booming right now anyhow. My plans included watching old-reruns of Charmed and music videos until I fell asleep."

She informed me with a wistful look on her face. I wondered why she didn't have plans. It wasn't that Darcy wasn't a good person to hang with and although I knew she didn't hang out with people at school, I always assumed she was the type to have college friends who took her to parties and were on her level of intellect. I didn't think she stayed home.

"Well it looks like I interrupted your very fun and exciting evening. Thank you Darcy...wait there isn't any jealous boyfriends that live in the next town or some shit that could try and kill me for taking out his woman is there?"

The thought bothered me slightly more than I cared to admit. She hadn't mentioned a boyfriend, but something about her having one bothered me and I didn't know why.

"Oh no. I'm a nobody remember, trust me nobody is going to even remotely attempt to kick your ass for me Loki."

I breathed out the breath I was holding that I hadn't realized I was holding in the first place.

"So you still haven't told me where we are going."

"Thor let his date choose the first activity. Her choice was the movies, undoubtedly some flowery romantic movie she plans to use to sway Thor toward her being the one."

This was what most of Thor's dates had in mind. All of them gunning for the chance to be number one in his eyes, and all of them failing miserably at the finish line. My brother had no intentions of being a one woman man and sadly enough none of the girls he took out or bedded realized that. So they got desperate, and started being overly romantic hoping that would get his thoughts going, but what they failed to realize was that sometimes it took a lot to get the idea's flowing in his mind; one overly dramatized and romantic movie would not change that.

"What is so funny?"

I heard Darcy small laughter from beside me and I looked at her out the corner of my eyes.

"Does she truly think like that or is that your generalization for all girls?" She asked me.

"I'm not sure. Thor hasn't told me his date's name but I'm sure that is her thinking."

"Just for your future reference not all women choose romance movies to endear you to us. If we've chosen them it's because we wanted to see them. Personally to me there's nothing wrong with a good RomCom but at the same time a good action movie works just fine. What are we seeing?"

"The new Nicholas Sparks movie."

Her face turned into a noticeable grimace and the way her nose scrunched up caused me to laugh at the obvious dislike on her face.

"What was that face about?"

"All of those movies are sadly predictable and that's coming from a girl who can never figure out the ending to any movie."

"You can choose the second thing we go and do if you'd like"

I offered her. Darcy was being cool about the whole thing, so if she decided she wanted to go somewhere I would take her as a repayment for doing me this favor.

"We should go bowling!"

She said to me with such happiness across her face I had no heart to say no to what she asked if she gave me that face. I could never tell her that though and it was a weird position to be in because I had never been before.

"Bowling?"

"Yes bowling! It could be fun, I haven't done it since I was 8 years and it will give me a chance to kick your butt at something that is not academic."

"Really, you think you could win against me?"

"We will see when I WIN won't we? Wait you don't have a bowling alley in your house do you? Because if you do that is total cheating."

She questioned me and I laughed at her, I didn't have a bowling alley in my house.

"No, we don't have a bowling alley on this property, now ask about the house my father owns in Miami and the answer will be different."

"Figures. Let's go to class and get settled, I think we start on that new project today and I want to get ahead on the reading so it will take less time to actually do the work…"

*In Class*

"Before we get started today, we have some business to take care of. Mr. Williams has decided this class is not something he can continue on with so out of curtsey of everyone else in the class he has left us, but now we have an uneven number from all of the other people that have also made that choice. Poor Jane is going to be left without a partner and I am moving her to another group."

The teacher said to the class, and I looked at the girl whom I had never really taken the time to look at before. Jane Foster wasn't the type to stand out in a crowd but she had a sort of classic beauty that you had to look at her to see. She wasn't my type just from looking at her stance, I could wreck her and the worst she would do was run into the bathroom and cry about her broken heart, I wanted a woman who could tell me I was being a jackass and if I did break her heart she would possibly attempt to break an appendage. That was a girl I had yet to find…

"So Odinson and Lewis, you're turning into my three unless something happens and we become even again."

I started glaring at the man in front of the class. I was undeniably irritated with him. I wasn't in the mood to babysit anyone in this class and I had just barely accepted that Darcy was my worthy partner in this class. Now we had to carry someone who wasn't on our level. Darcy must have taken note of my irritation because she turned to me and said,

"Loki, play nice."

"Look at the girl she is going to drag the whole project behind,"

I said wanting Darcy to understand the extra effort we would have to put in by having a third.

"The teacher wouldn't have put her with us if she wasn't at least somewhat level with us. Don't scare the poor girl."

She asked of me to which I rolled my eyes.

"Just try."

Jane walked over to us with her stuff and sat it on the table that was directly in front of us. Then she turned a chair around so she could face our direction. I could feel the waves of nervousness roll of her. Yes she would be annoying.

"Hi, I'm Jane Foster; I guess we are going to be working together."

"Clearly, since you are here."

I said hoping my tone would be enough to discourage her from wanting to stay in our group. Darcy appear gently was not having any of my ride behavior because I felt a sharp kick to my shin. I yelped and reached down to rub at where she kicked me at. Darcy ignored me and spoke to the girl who had joined the table.

"Hi Jane I'm Darcy Lewis, and this pleasant young man next to me is Loki Odinson."

"Nice to meet you Darcy, Loki. Hey I think you guys are in my gym class. Last period, Freeman right?"

Darcy nodded in agreement and I realized Jane was in that class as well. She was a lot like Darcy in the below the radar type of way.

"Mr. Randall said we are starting the project this week. Have you guys read the chapter yet?"

"Yeah, we read it before class, we are ready to start."

"Darcy, I'm sure Jane has to read it first."

I said, Jane probably hadn't read it yet.

"Oh no, I read it over the weekend seeing as I thought I was going to have to do the project by myself. He kept telling me he was looking for a way to drop this class."

Jane clearly missed my barb and continues to talk on with a slight smile on her face.

"He wanted to drop after all the work he had put in after the first half."

"Said he wanted to focus on his other AP courses and couldn't handle being in this class and trying to do his extracurriculars, so something had to give and it was this class."

I didn't say anything wanting to observe Jane and decide if she was worth my time to even be upset about. Darcy seemed to want to get along with the girl and I guess if she could give it a change then I would try for her sake...

*After School*

"So our dinner is at 6 and the movie starts at 8:25, I will pick you up from your house at 7:45 okay."

"Umm… Instead of coming all the way to my house why don't you just meet me there?"

She offered to me, although it was unnecessary. I always passed Darcy on the way to school meaning I had to pass her to get to town and her house couldn't be that far off she didn't have a bus to get to school on.

"I can pick you up; it's on the way there, besides how does that look if I don't arrive with my date?"

I questioned joking with her, although it would be weird if she and I didn't arrive together. Thor would immediately know something was up if I didn't have my date in the car.

"Oh, okay well just call me when you're on the way then."

"Aren't you going to give me your address?"

I asked before she got too far away. Why was she in such a rush to get away from me? Wait, why was she even trying to walk when I could drive her all the way home?

"Oh yeah, here I'll write it down."

She dug around in her bag until she found everything she needed to write down her information and handing it to me. She didn't put her phone number on it. How was I supposed to call her beforehand like she asked if I didn't even have her number?

"Thank you, but I think you're forgetting something."

"What this time?"

She asked turning back around slight annoyance on her face.

"If you want me to call you before I arrive, then you might want to give me your phone number."

"I'll see you later Loki."

I got in my car thinking she would follow lead and get in bit instead she began to walk away. I was confused with her actions.

"Darcy what is wrong with you, get in the car."

"Nothing is wrong with me, I'm going home. If I plan on going anywhere tonight, I have to clean the house first."

"I can give you a ride, gives you time to get everything done that you're supposed to."

I offered to her.

"It's cool I can walk."

"Get in the car Darcy"

She was kind of annoying me at this point, I don't think I have ever had to force someone in this car before and she was frustrating more than I would care to admit. Finally she conceded and got in the car.

"Hey can you run over to the 7-eleven really quick I need to get something."

I granted her request and turned to the closet 7-Eleven I could think of. She got out the car and I went in behind her, in the mood for a monster to quell my thirst. I paid for my drink and opened it going to stand next to Darcy who was at the ATM.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting some money out of the machine for later, we might not have time to stop later and I need some cash."

I looked at her; she couldn't honestly think I was going to let her pay for anything. It was kinda of an insult to me and Thor would take it as such if she ever decided to pay for own things in front of us.

"What do you need money for? Thor and I are paying for everything anyways."

I knocked back another sip of the container.

"I don't expect you to because I'm not your real date. I have every intention of paying for my own stuff tonight."

She said typing a pin into the machine.

"Just because you have the intentions on doing so, does not mean I'm going to let you." I told her, leaning on the machine.

"What?"

"I'm letting you and Thor won't either it's how we were raised, our mother would literally cut us off and yell at us into the next week if we dared to let our dates for the evening pay for anything. Our friends are different stories but they all think we are really on a date, so Thor will scold me if anything else. Besides, if I expected you to pay for anything I would have told you to pay me back as I have done to many others in the past."

I explained my upbringing to her. She wasn't going to understand my positioning otherwise.

"Fine, but I'm still getting money out because I don't like to walk around without it."

Darcy's bullheadedness came into play at her insistence that she needed money. I wouldn't begrudge her that if that was what she wanted to do, but she wouldn't use it.

"If you insist."

I said getting out of the store and into my car where she followed and once she got in I took her home.

The house was modest from the outside, two stories, some grass and in need of some new paint but it was nice. Darcy said she would see me later and she walked into her house...

*6:50pm-Dinner*

Sigyn liked to stare, that much had been proven. She was currently sitting directly across from me definitely picturing me naked and the hungry look in her eyes wasn't coming from the food at the table. I was just on my last bite and itching to get up from the table and leave her in the room with my parents.

"Well I hate to cut this evening short but I must be excused or I will be late."

"Late?"

Sigyn asked sitting her fork down on her plate.

"Oh yes, He and Thor have plans for the evening." My mother offered as the explanation to our departure from the table.

"Oh cool, what are you guys going to do?"

Thor spoke up this time.

"My date has requested that we see that new book turned movie and Loki's has requested the more active fun of bowling."

"Dates? You guys sound like you're going to have fun. Man I wish I got the chance to have some fun. I have been dying to see that movie."

I knew exactly what Sigyn was up to. She wanted to tag along and I was just about to book it when I heard.

"Hey Theoric I've got a great idea, why don't we take our wives out for cocktails and let Sigyn hang with our boys for the night. I'm sure she doesn't want to be stuck with us old folks for the rest of the night. You will take her with you right boys?"

My father said in a tone that let us know we didn't have much of a choice. I looked to Thor who i'm sure thought this was the funniest dilemma for me to be in and was biting back a full blown laugh.

"Umm...Sure we will take good care of Sigyn tonight."

I said getting up from the table and to my room to grab my jacket. Thor knocked while I was making sure I had put my wallet into my pocket. His smile was enough to tell me he came to laugh at me.

"This is not funny Thor. I knew dad was going to pull something like this."

"You never know Loki you could have some major fun tonight. Two woman both wanting for your attention, believe me it could be VERY beneficial to you."

"I don't want this to be beneficial. This shit is a nightmare just wait to happen."

"How do you feel about this Darcy girl you are taking out?"

He asked me and I kept a calm facade but inside I was sweating. He still didn't know this was a farce.

"I wish not to see he hurt because of Sigyn and her desperate actions."

That was the truth, Sigyn was borderline relentless in her attempts in the past to catch my affections, what would make me think she wouldn't try that again and she would be sure to hurt Darcy's feelings unnecessarily in the process. Although Darcy wasn't really on a date with me, Sigyn could attack on a personal level and hurt Darcy. I wasn't sure about everything about Darcy, but something told me that behind the sarcasm and smile was a girl that was hiding the fact that she could be hurt just as easily as the next girl if not even more so because the wall she had up kept out a lot of pain.

"Sigyn is riding with you."

I said to Thor as we left my room and back downstairs...

*Darcy's house*

I called Darcy as promised to let her know I was about to turn onto her street.

"Hello."

"Darcy?"

"This is she."

"Good, umm I'm turning onto your street now."

"Okay good, I'll meet you outside."

"Fine."

She wasted no time in coming from the house, sliding into the passenger seat before I could even get out to open her door for her.

"That was fast, didn't even give me time to announce my arrival. Excited are we?"

I prodded to figure out her level of enthusiasm for the night.

"To get out of my house...yes."

"You really don't get out much do you?"

I could tell the girl hasn't really been anywhere with people who own age in a long while.

"Not nearly as much as I should. Anyways, how did dinner go?"

Darcy asked not realize that the dinner was still a major point of irritation for me. She was nice enough about it so I wouldn't snap on her for something she had no harm in asking.

"Annoying, my parents are such meddling people. I have repeatedly told them that I have no interest in that girl what so ever yet they insist on forcing us together every chance they get. I told them I was going on a date, in fact me and Thor would both be going on dates, but they were struck with the brilliant idea that she should tag along, because god knows she was dressed to go bowling."

Darcy said nothing and just listened to my prattle off about how Sigyn was and the night. I told her she would be joining us for the night and she didn't flinch It was refreshing to let the 'Loki' facade drop and not have to pretend I'm calm all of the damn time.

"I'm serious just wait until you meet her. She's a total spoiled brat, and our parents have filled her mind that we weren't "destined to be together" and it's "been set since birth" and all that bullshit jazz. I'm starting to think I'm betrothed and they aren't sure how to break it to me."

It was honestly an idea that had been swimming around in the back of my mind for ages. My parents had always wanted us together and I could never question why that was, but something bothered me about the whole situation with Sigyn. I already know my father could give two less shots about me unless I was the source of his pleasure, but I was starting to wonder if he had my whole life planned out for me, including who I'd marry.

"I thought generally first-born are the betrothed ones."

Darcy questioned, but didn't say much else.

"It doesn't matter; it's all about what benefits the company. Therefore it's me." I explained to her.

"I think it's going to work out to where you won't have to be with her. You are going to have to show them all that you and she aren't a match and she is not what you want. Show your parents that you would be unhappy with her, maybe they will back off.

Darcy tried to give me advice but she had no clue to lengths my father will and had gone through to control me. Odin is not the type to give up, no, Odin was the type to fight you tooth and nail if need be.

"Not my father he sees what he wants and he takes it. No questions asked if he sets his mind into seeing me with their daughter it's done."

"Maybe? Maybe not? You have the power to control your life, because it's your life and no one else's..."

For the first time in a very long time I wished there was some light shinning in my darkness so I could look at her and for the first time ever a girl looked beautiful to me when I couldn't even see her face...

*At the Movie Theater*

I pulled into an available spot and Darcy got out faster than I could make it to her again. It was when she stepped from the side of the car did my mouth drop. Damn. My earlier assumptions about her breasts were correct. Her black and gold shirt framed her body quite nicely, and I cursed whoever made her normal fashion sense to be T-Shirts and jeans. She wasn't overly dressed or anything, but that was enough to make me want her. Darcy wasn't talking, and probably wondering why in the hell I was staring at her.

"You look nice."

She smiled at me and kept walking tears the door.

"Thank you, you look nice too, I take it you had to dress for the dinner."

"I dressed with both events in mind."

I looked over my button down to make sure nothing had appeared on it, and opened the entry way doors for her. She walked in and I followed looking for Thor who should have beaten me here. I spotted him in the crowd waiting by the ticket booth. The closer we got to them the more Thor's date looked familiar from the back and when she and Sigyn turned around to glare at Darcy and I, I realized who the date was and rage mitigated my features I'm sure. I was angry how could Thor bring Amora of all people as his date, not to mention she was a gold digging bottom feeder, but he knew our history together and he still wanted to bring her out on a date? He wasn't going to make this night any easier for me. "Good you're here, now we can get our tickets." Thor said to me all happy and making me fight the urge to slap him, even harder to ignore. I knew Darcy had never spoken to Thor before so I had to introduce them to one another.

"Before we step in line, Thor I'm not sure if you've properly met, but this is Darcy Lewis, Darcy this is Thor, my brother."

"I don't think we have, nice to meet you finally."

They shook hands and Thor took the opportunity to look at me with a knowing look on his face.

"How nice to see you again Loki!" Amora moved from Thor side to hug me, he perfume smelling like she had doused herself in it before coming. She hugged me extra tight make sure I could feel all of her, which I had no interest in doing. I backed away feeling uncomfortable for both me and for Darcy who hadn't much of anything and who I was sure was trying not to wilt under Sigyn's harsh stare.

"Now, don't be rude, introduce me to your…"Friend"."

"Oh yes, how rude of ME." I countered. I was the one being rude when she is so poorly camouflaging the fact that she is here to sleep with my brother? Yet, I'm the rude one?

"Darcy, I would like you to meet Thor's date for the evening, Amora, and to the left of Thor was the other young lady I mentioned would be joining us tonight, Sigyn"

I said to Darcy who gave a small smile to the two women and shook their hands in greeting. I was going to take Darcy with me to the line but Thor clasped my shoulder and dragged me along before I could say otherwise.

"You weren't lying about Darcy's chest. She's kinda hot in, and definitely your type little bro."

I glared at Thor's mention to Darcy's breasts. He didn't get to look at those… hell I don't even get to look at them so he damn sure won't!

"First off mention Darcy's breasts again and I'm knocking you out, flat on your ass."

Thor laughed and threw his hands up in mock defeat.

"Secondly, what in the hell are you doing with Amora?"

"Look, Loki I know you and her have some past together, but she is really into me and she is hot. Don't take this personally Loki."

"Of course she is into you, you idiot, you have a dick and you've got money. Her two favorite things, you know she has not intentions of going back to the trailer park where she came from."

"Loki, watch how you speak about her." He said to me in a warning tone. To which I said back to him in the same tone.

"Thor, watch what you catch from her."

"You are just bitter because she chose me."

"I could care less about who she whores herself onto anymore. It's really not my problem, but you could have told me she was your date, considering the last time I saw her wasn't on the nest of terms and that I already have to keep Sigyn off Darcy's ass."

"Your past with Amora was long ago, I thought you would be over it by now."

"I am over it, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten what she did. Thor you don't forget certain things or people and considering that Amora was my first, I highly doubt I'll forget her. So like I told you before, watch out for her."

Thor wasn't a child, but sometimes he certainly acted as one. He just decided to take what he wanted, but Amora was a whole different ball game. She and I are the same age, but she always lived life faster than most. We were freshman when I starting dating her, and not long after we began to date did we end up having sex. I was young and I thought it was love, especially when I didn't have it at home. I thought we were in a good place, but I quickly realized she had other plans for me and they only included my money. Her mom wanted the big time, so she told Amora to trap me, I only narrowly avoided being caught, and that was because I overheard her on the phone one day while she was at my house for a party my parents had been throwing. I would have happened that night, and I would have been a very young dad. When I confronted her on it, she said that was always the plan, that she deserved better and that I could give that to her. Told me that if I loved her, then having a baby shouldn't be a problem, but I looked at her like she was crazy. I had no desire to be a father yet, and I had enough of my own problems to deal with including fighting off a pedophile, I didn't want that, and so we broke up, but now she was trying to get her hooks into my brother, and if she didn't watch himself she succeed in being in the family way like she had always wanted to. What is so dumb about this whole situation was that Thor knew what happened between us and he still let convenience him that, them dating would be a good idea. We bought the tickets and joined the ladies back in the group, where Darcy didn't look any worse for the wear and I looked for any signs that she was unhappy. I didn't see any from looking at her, but judging by the looks on the girls faces I knew this night was far from over.

"Alright, any snacks for your ladies, because I know I'm getting something."

Thor said leading us toward the snack line. Sigyn shook her head no, while Amora ordered a large bin of popcorn, small soda, and some candies and Thor ordered a nacho, large drink and two boxes of candies. I simply shook my head at my brother and his never ending stomach.

"I thought you guys ate before you came?"

Darcy asked me confused; not realizing my brother could eat an all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant out of business.

"We did. Imagine what he would have gotten if we didn't."

"Would you like anything?" I put my hand on her lower back enjoying the fact that she stiffened under my touch. I wasn't out to make things awkward or anything but I needed Thor to know that now Darcy was off limits, his breast comment still bothered me.

"Umm…Can I get some popcorn and a small soda?"

She asked, as if I would say no to her.

"Sure, is that all you want?"

"Yea, I haven't even eaten dinner yet, so I don't want to ruin it by being full on junk."

"You didn't eat before now?" I questioned her. I thought for sure she would have eaten before coming out because she knew we had just come from dinner, so we wouldn't be too hungry, well at least I wouldn't be.

"No, I told you I had a lot of housework to do before I got ready to leave; in fact I almost wasn't ready by the time you called. I literally was in a towel about 10 minutes before you called me."

The visualization of Darcy in towel sprung to the front of y mind and I found myself more turned on by it, then I should have been for a girl I wasn't interested in on that level.

"Towel eh?"

"Yes, umm… new subject what did you have for dinner, maybe it will give me some ideas on what I want to cook for tomorrow."

She tried to divert the conversation, but because of her cheeks turning red and her obvious un-comfort, I wanted to keep this conversation going.

"Oh but wait, let's talk about this towel situation. What color was it?"

She turned even redder and lightly elbowed me in the ribs. I smirked waiting for the answer.

"I'm not telling you Loki."

"This is amusing, look at you all flushed and embarrassed."

I wonder how else I could make her flush like that. I was pondering what I could say next, when Sigyn killed the moment, but sticking me two cents in the conversation.

"Maybe she is just sparing you mental image Loki. Be grateful and stop pestering the girl."

"Or maybe I don't want to ruin the surprise later. He can see for him rather than have me botch the description."

Darcy responded before I could and put her hand on my arm, pulling herself closer, I knew she was going along with what I had asked her to do and I followed her lead by moving my hand from her back (that up until now I hadn't realized had still be there) and onto her hips and making sure we got closer, which gave me a whiff of her hair that smelled really good. Wait what? When did I start sniffing hair?

"I see, well I'm sure he would."

Sigyn said without her conviction involved. Darcy had won the round score, Darcy one and Sigyn had none as far as I knew. Sigyn walked away to stand with Thor and Amora while we grabbed our food, Darcy turned toward me and said.

"You weren't lying about her. Although she is pretty, I'm sure many guys could over look the vapid shallowness."

"I'm sure they could, but I cannot."

We went inside the theater where I found myself in the middle of the tension between Sigyn and Darcy…

*Leaving the Movie Theater*

"If I never have to sit through another one of those movies again, it will be too soon."

I wholehearted agreed with Darcy's comment as she walked out the theater. I am sure that movie resulted in a major loss in brain cells.

"I thought it was an amazing movie! You know how real life romance can occur when you at least expect it, even when you push it away."

Sigyn said moving closer to me, her double meaning for what she perceived as our non- existent love life, obvious. Darcy laughed and turned it into a cough when Sigyn looked at her. Thor came out holding hands with Amora who had a few sappy tears in her eyes. I rolled my eyes at her fakeness. Another movie across the hall opened up and patrons from that movie poured into the hallway and of course guess who comes out of the movies were Thor's friends.

"Thor! Sup man!" Said Fandral while they all joined us off the side and out of the way of the crowd. Hogun and Volstagg crowded in as well.

"Fandral, Sif guys what are you doing here?"

"We decided that we wanted to see that new action movie, Olympus has fallen."

"How was it? That was the movie I wanted to see."

"It was awesome! Explosions, Gerard Butler kicked some major ass."

"Well I see you just left the most romantic movie of the year, and all look cozy, Amora, Sigyn nice to see you again. Darcy I'm surprised to see YOU with them all."

"Umm...yeah I was invited by...Loki."

"Clearly."

Sif said sarcastically then turned back to Thor, I wondered what the deal was between Darcy and Sif. Then again Sif was another situation that I didn't feel like dealing with at all.

"So are you guys going to that sick party over in the hills tonight or what?"

"What party?"Asked Amora.

"Miles' parents are out of town and they totally gave him permission to throw a party while they are gone. It's tonight!"

"We should go Thor!"

Amora said with her eyes lit up, I knew that the plans were about to change.

"Yeah, that sounds a lot more fun than...what were we doing again? Bowling." Said Sigyn with an eye roll.

"Bowling? Whose lame idea was that?" Asked Sif

"Mine. Hell I hadn't been in a long time and I'd thought it would be fun to play."

"Yea, because wearing others shoes and all germs are just a hell of a lot of fun. You guys in?"

I wasn't sure when the claws came out, but they had and Thor could tell too, because he looked at me.

"We are so in!" Amora said and beginning to pull Thor toward the doors toward the lobby. I stopped Darcy from following them after they walked off.

"Are you okay?"

I wasn't sure if she wanted to continue on with the evening because of how Sif had just treated her in front of everybody.

"About the change of plans? I'm fine, not really dressed for a party I don't think, but we can still hang with your friends if I want."

"You look fine, how you are dressed is irrelevant, I meant the way Sif behaved, it was incredibly rude. If would like not to go then we don't have to."

"No, it's cool we can go, your friends really want you to go and everything…"

"Correction, Thor's friends want him to go. If I went or not it wouldn't make a difference to them."

"Yeah, but if you don't go then they will blame me for it, and then I'll never hear the end of Sif's mouth on why you didn't join them."

"Sif is… Sif well she's…got some issues with me and she's taking them out on you. Nothing you decide will change that."

That was the truth, Sif and I also had a past, and she was a nightmare to deal with as well. She was tricky, because while we weren't at all serious, she didn't want anyone else she hadn't chosen specifically to have me. Sigyn was alright to her because she approved of her, hell even Amora had more standing than Darcy did in her eyes. Sif and I had messed around a few times, I liked that she had a bit a bite behind her bark, but I came to starling realization that she was in love with Thor. I have played enough of the second fiddle to him in life; I wouldn't do that with the girls I chose to be with. She never denied it when I confronted her on, and from then on she's always been a bit more than hostile with me, so I did my best to just avoid her. Now it seems she wanted to push Darcy away before anything had even happened. Darcy was becoming a friend, and I wanted to keep working toward that, but if Sif was being a bitch to her, then I couldn't keep that going.

"Well I'm not ready to go home just yet, so we can go to the party."

"As long as you're okay with it, then I'm good with going."

She said she was fine with going to this party, in which I didn't feel like going to, but because I had to check up on Thor all the damn time, I had to go with them, plus she wasn't ready to go home and I wasn't exactly ready to take her, seeing as she was the only person in this group of people that had seriously had me contemplating pulling my hair out at the roots…

*Party*

We pulled up to this large mansion house with people spilling out the front door, the music blaring loudly from the house. I could tell this was going to be one of those parties where you wanted to get the hell out of dodge before the morning or else you be picking yourself up from the ground with black sharpie all over your face.

"We aren't going to be here long. I'm going in just to show my face and said I came and then we can leave."

I had no urge to stay here; I could really just take Darcy somewhere else if she wanted. She said she hadn't eaten so I could take her to get some food or something.

"You know if you want me to, I can just wait for you in the car."

"No I don't want you to be in the car, at night, alone. Come inside, besides your doing a great job of keeping Sigyn off me."

I joked but I was serious. Sigyn was much less bold when Darcy was around and she didn't even try to feel me up in the darkness of the movie theater, which considering she tried to do that every time she sat next to me, I was keeping Darcy by my side.

"Fine, let's get this over with."

Darcy was pissed off and I couldn't figure out why? Had she thought I was forcing her to come to this party, because I wasn't at all? She got out of my car nearly stomping toward the house, where I sped up to stop her from walking forward.

"Wait a second Darcy. Wait, what is the matter with you? You are the one that said you didn't mind going to the party, now you are angry."

"I'm fine."

She tried to walk away again, her anger still apparent and I wasn't buying the whole 'I'm fine' BS she was trying to run on me. I wasn't going to have her mad at me, and I didn't even know what for.

"Do not lie to me; it's not your strong suit Darcy. Now what's really wrong?"

"Look if you don't want to be seen with me in a place like this then I understand. I mean a dark movie theater is one thing but with all your friends, you don't have to even go in with me."

It dawned on me that the night had been affecting Darcy more than I thought. She thought she would be my embarrassment, but I wasn't sure where she got that from. She would not be something I was ashamed to take out anywhere. I was out enjoying the night because it was something we had both agreed to. Trust me she was much better company than half the girls I could have had to take out tonight, every girl in this little outing included. Damn Sif and Sigyn, for being exactly the girls I knew them to be. I had to let Darcy know it was all me not anything she was doing to make me what to leave early.

"Darcy...I'm not saying I want to go in and out if the party quickly because of you. I really don't like these parties much because all they do is get drunk, high or both and then have sex. For me they don't hold much appeal. I only come to make sure Thor doesn't do something stupid and ruin himself and his future. It has nothing to do with you."

I looked at Darcy hoping she would realize I meant every word I had just said to her. I had never been in the practice of saying things to Darcy I didn't mean. Resignation and realization passed across her face, but she didn't have a response so I grabbed her wrist and pulled her along behind me lightly to the front of the house…

*36 minutes later*

"No wonder you have to watch Thor at these parties. This is crazy."

She had her head turned slightly to the side, while taking a sip of what I assured was water before giving it to her. I shook my head from watching Thor show his ass on the floor, being that was his third of whatever he was drinking. Amora was grinding herself into him and he was enjoying every second of it.

"Yes, you see our father won't blame Thor for this, he will blame me, and will get pissed at me for letting Thor do something stupid."

"Ugh...I'll go get you another drink, stay here."

I said taking her cup from her and leaving her while I went toward the kitchen. I returned some greetings that people were giving me while I walked by. The water of course did not take long to get, but to my annoyance Sigyn who clearly had a few drinks of her own had blocked my way back to Darcy.

"Sigyn, move please."

"No, I want to go somewhere and do something… anything."

She tried to move closer but I moved backwards.

"I'm sorry Sigyn but you and I both know that is not going to happen."

"WHY NOT?!"

"Because you and I aren't ever going to happen, ever. Now I have a date to get to."

I tried to move past her, but before I could figure out what was going on, she pressed her lips to mine. I heard the idiots in the room cheer her on as she tried to get me into it, but I moved away from her, leaving her looking for Darcy who was not in the same spot I left her in, although Sif was standing very close to that spot and had a smirk on her face. I sat the cups down in some random spot, wanting to leave as soon as possible.

"Where is Darcy?"

I demanded to know from Sif.

"She went back to where she belongs Loki. I mean honestly Loki, she isn't at all your type, and she honestly doesn't even fit in here, and you are cruel for making her think she stood a chance."

My temper raged faster and higher than it had ever been in such a short period of time.

"What the fuck Sif? What gives you any right to decide who is worthy or not? I'm going to tell you this one time and one time only. You fuck with Darcy Lewis on more time, and I promise you will regret that shit."

"Oh really? What are you going to do, the last time I checked you were busy hiding in Thor's shadow. I'm trying to help you Loki if you would just let me. I'm trying to set you up so you rule the school next year when we all leave…"

"I don't give a shit about any of that, and you know I don't. You cared about all that bullshit, that's why you want Thor. High school is fucking high school, and I don't care because they will be kissing my ass when I come back anyway, just like they do now. That's the problem with people now, somebody belongs and somebody doesn't the only thing that doesn't belong is your nose."

Sif gasped and touched her face.

"Yes I know all about that surgery. So please don't pretend you know anything about anyone and don't pretend to give a damn about me, you are just bitter 'cause I'm the one who dumped you. Go climb on Thor's dick and leave me the hell alone already, and like I said you keep fucking with Darcy and I'll make sure everything you've tried to hide comes into the light. Don't pretend I don't have the power to do it Sif."

Sif's eye narrowed knowing I was right and she had no choice but to back off and let Darcy be. Now to find her, where would she go? She has no ride home.

"Which way did she go?"

"She left out the front door."

Sif motioned to the large doors behind her. I looked around outside for her and when I couldn't find her I got worried and went back inside looking for her. When she still didn't appear after 10 minutes of searching I began to panic, that some idiot had done something to her or she got hurt. I was going to strangle her when I found her for making me worry like this! I was about to head to door when I saw Thor stumble around and I realized I couldn't leave his dumb ass unattended for however long it took me to find Darcy. I spotted Hogun leaning on the wall talking to some girl. Thankfully he look like the sober one for the night and I could trust him with Thor. I walked over to Thor grasping him by the shoulder.

"Keys."

"Why? Don't you have your own car to fuck in?"

Thor said giving some random guy that I could remember the name of at the moment.

"Your drunk and I want your keys."

I said letting him know I wasn't in the mood for his drunken escapades for the night. Luckily Thor didn't put up much of a fight and fished the keys out his pocket before handing them to me and walking off. I rolled my eyes and went over to Hogun.

"Make sure Thor gets home. I've got to go."

"Okay. Care if we crash at the house?"

"I don't care. As long as both Thor and Sigyn make it back in the house I don't care what you all do. Amora can't stay though."

I didn't trust her not to use this moment to her advantage. Hogun nodded and I handed him Thor's keys.

I was driving around the neighborhood and to my relief I saw Darcy stomping down the street, her hair flying behind her. I brought the car to a stop and called out to her.

"Darcy, what on earth are you doing? Are you lost or something?"

She didn't stop so I ran to catch up with her. It wasn't until I pulled her into a full stop that she turned to me and I could tell she had been crying. Damn, just what had Sif said to her?

"Darcy wait just a second! What is your problem?!"

"I'm fine! Let me go so I can get home!"

"Really? If there is no problem then why are you stomping around in a neighborhood you don't know, at night looking all pissed off when you have a perfectly good ride right here."

I countered, to which a few more tears fell and I got nervous. Nothing good ever came from a crying woman, at least in my experience.

"I'd rather walk if you don't mind. Now Let. Me. Go."

She started hitting me but with the way I was holding her, the resistance was already high and all I had to do was hold tighter.

"No. Darcy what is your fucking problem?"

"My 'fucking problem' is that you invite ME out to hang with your friends just so I can be the laughing stalk of the evening! The next time you want to impress everybody by having "options" for female entertainment of the night then leave me the fuck out of it okay!"

'Female entertainment' what? I didn't bring her to the party to make fun of her or make her feel bad. What had Sif said to Darcy?

"Options for female entertainment. What are you talking about? I have not been entertained all evening, in fact I was about to ask you if you wanted to leave and maybe get some real food, but I come back to where I left you and you were gone."

"Well I'm sure Sigyn would be happy to go anywhere you and your friends want. I'm sure she would fit right the hell in. I on the other hand want to go home."

"Did you pop a pill or something? Why would I take Sigyn anywhere? I can barely get away from the stench of her desperate need as it stands. Could you imagine what it would be like if I actually took her somewhere? No, I'll pass on that."

"So you just like to mind fuck her by making out with her in a room crowded full of people while you're on a 'date' with someone else? No wonder the poor girls confused you got her all twisted up with promises and confusing actions. I don't blame her for clinging on to what she can get from you. Like I said Loki you wanna play games with her, you know keep her all wet and shit for you by playing with her emotions then that's between you and her. Just don't use and embarrass me to do it. Hell I'd be a lot less pissed off if you had just told me when you invited me you have something going on with her."

It hit me she must have been freaking out because she saw Sigyn kiss me. Were her feelings hurt because of that?

"You saw that kiss didn't you?"

"Of course I did! Why else do you think I'm leaving you ass! You should have just fucking told me! I would feel like less if a dumbass right now if you had!"

"Darcy you obviously didn't watch long enough, because if you had you would have seen me push her away from me. I had nothing to do with her bold action to suddenly kiss me, although I think that had a lot to do with the punch she's been drinking from like a fish since we arrived. Trust me that it one crazy boat I never want to get on."

"So you didn't kiss her?"

"Not of my own volition. No I did not. She griped at me when I told her to sober up and walked away but I wasn't about to indulge her. I'm sorry if you felt embarrassed, that was never my intention for the night, and I was hoping you'd have a good time, but I guess you not."

I could only hope that Darcy didn't get ever madder at me. Angry Darcy was a scary Darcy. Fortunately she relaxed, and the tension fell from her shoulders.

"Loki, I should be apologizing. I should have asked before jumping to conclusions. I'm just not that type if girl who is used to getting embarrassed in front of huge crowds..."

"I would hope that you aren't used to that. Now if you want I can take you home."

"Now that I have effectively ruined the night, I think that might be for the best."

"You haven't ruined anything. Although I think you might wanna rethink giving me heart attacks in the future. Let's go."

"Alright... Hey but what about Thor he can't be okay to drive?"

"I took care of that already."

I closed her door and got in the car driving off back toward the city. The time said that the little Italian restaurant mom liked would still be open. Pulling into the restaurant Darcy looked at me perplexed.

"What are we going here?"

"You have not eaten and I'm hungry again therefore we are going to dinner."

She gave me a small smile I opened her door for her so we could go inside.

"So Darcy I take it you've never been here before?"

"Umm...no. I don't get the chance to get out to eat often. How many times have you eaten here?"

My mom was like me in the way that she enjoyed good food. Odin and Thor weren't really into places that weren't steakhouses, so we didn't come here with them at all.

"Maybe 3 times since its opening in January. My mother likes this place a lot, but Thor and my father don't so we don't visit often. They have a great selection of food and excellent service so my mother enjoys it. The other two times I have came here, have been with her for lunch. I hope Italian food is okay with you."

"It's fine. In fact it's my favorite."

"So are you close with your mom or do you like forcibly engage for lunch with her?"

Darcy took at bite of the bread in front of her and she loved it, I could tell by the slight fluttering of her eyes. My mother and I were closer than the rest of the family. My mom treated me no different from Thor and loved me all the same. Sometimes it hurt to look her in the eyes and know she didn't have a clue about what I went through. More than once I considered telling her but every time I saw the outcome of her not believing and she would disown me and I needed her.

"She and I are close. We bond on intellectual levels so we can sit over food and talk and she is a great listener. Now Thor is the one she has to drag out on his ear to get any time spent with her. I think that us just how we are. I like to spend time with our mother and he likes to spend time with our father."

"So your father has to drag you to spend time with him. You and Thor are such opposites yet so alike."

"Yes. I guess we are..."

We talked more over the food as it arrived and I could honestly say I hadn't ever been able to talk to someone for this long at one time. I liked talking to her and she listened. I didn't have to be Loki Odinson, billionaires' son, I was just Loki to her and she enjoyed me the way I was. I liked that she didn't have expectations of me...

*At Darcy's House*

I parked on the street in front of her house that was completely dark from all outward appearances. Something had developed on the time we spent together and for some reason I wasn't opposed to it.

"Thank you for getting me out the house for the night and thank you for some of the most delicious Italian food I have ever had."

She said to me with a smile across her face.

"Not a problem. You could have not come tonight and forced me to fight Sigyn off with a stick, it was the least I could do for you Darcy."

"You still had to fight her off."

"Yea, but you staved off the worst. Besides you aren't such bad company to have on a Friday night. Not sure why you spend so much of your time at home."

Darcy was an anomaly in teenage girls, so I was making the decision to stop comparing her to the others.

"Yeah, well that's the way the cookie crumbles I'm that girl. But I'm okay with that."

"I'm not. It is something we will have to change."

I did want to change that. I wanted to take her places and do things with her. She helped break the monotony that was my life. We exited the car and I was standing front of her, not really wanting to see the night end but not being sure on how to tell her that.

"We shall see. Thanks for the ride, I see you at school on Monday."

I watched her lips as she spoke, swill owing the lump in my throat. She began to walk away, but I couldn't let her go, not without trying to figure out what I was feeling, and figuring out if she had any of the same emotions I was having.

"Goodnight Loki."

"Wait."

I brought her back closer to me, by taking her wrist in my hand.

"Something about our evening has been bugging me all night and I have been trying to figure out what it could be, and it just dawned on me what it was."

"This has been what was missing all evening."

I closed all the space left and touched my lips to her. My earlier assumption about the softness of her lips was correct; they melded with mine as I forced our bodies closer. I could feel the blood draining from my head to my lower anatomy, and I began to grow against the warmth of her body. She opened her lips to my tongue and my hand moving into her hair. We kissed until we were out of breath and when we were done, she had a smile on her face and I loved the bruised and swollen look of her lips, pride filled me knowing I had been the cause. I liked that she was all flushed because of me, which explained why I liked it on her earlier.

"I agree, I think that might have been exactly what was missing the whole night."

I was happy she hadn't decided to freak out and slap me for kissing her the way I had. I took her face in my hands and kissed her again, but I pulled away quickly so that I could keep control of myself.

"I'm glad I found the answer to that confounding question. I am also glad you agree with me, I will definitely be parked in this spot on Monday."

"You know I can walk to school it's not that far."

"Why should you walk when you have a ride? Besides we will have more time of this if I drive you, don't you agree?"

I told her repeating the statement I had always said to her when she contested something I did for her.

"I do see your point."

I moved from pinning her against the car like had been. She fixed her clothes and started to walk away after she kissed my cheek in a goodbye.

"Goodnight, I will see you on Monday Darcy."

She turned back as I watched her get to her door safely; only moving to get into my car once she had closed the door…

*At Home*

By sheer timing Hogun had just pulled into Thor's parking spot and was trying to yank Thor awake, I rolled my eyes and parked next to them.

"Good you're here. Your brother is being a dick. He refuses to get out the car, saying he'd rather sleep here."

"Thor get up."

"Fuck off Loki, let me sleep."

"You can sleep in the house, in your own bed. You know as well as I do if you vomit in the car in the morning you are going to be pissed trying to clean it up. I'll make you do it with a hangover to. Get up and let Hogun help you get inside, and don't wake up mom or you will be grounded for a week."

Thor thankfully listened and slid from the seat practically dropping to the ground forcing Hogun and I to catch him and lift him back to his feet. Yeah, he would be a lot of fun in the morning. I looked at the other inhabitants of the car and scoffed at the fact that they were all sleeping. Volstagg and Fanderal had crawled into the trunk of Thor's truck and Sif was laid out in the backseat as much as she could with her feet on top of Sigyn who I guessed at some point ripped her shirt, because it was now a midriff baring shirt that it hadn't been before. I opened the car door picking her up and carrying her inside, but she woke up half to the guest room.

"Loki I knew you've come back for me! I knew you wanted me! Everybody wants me I'M PERFECT!"

I raised an eyebrow at her and then opened the door to a guest room as far away from mine as I could manage. I sat her down on the bed and started trying to leave to which she latched on to me like a child.

"Where are you going? L...lokiiii…"

She slurred out.

"To bed and before you ask no you cannot join."

"Why do you hate me?!"

Then she just started crying and blubbering loudly. I tried to shush her but that only made her cry harder.

"Sigyn…stop… stop crying"

"I CAN'T!"

"Yes you can, I DON'T HATE YOU. I don't take advantage of drunken girls, not my style. I'll be back"

I turned her on her side as she passed out from crying and put a trash can next to her, and then I went back out to the car to get Sif and put her in the room with Sigyn. Unfortunately, she woke up when I moved her too.

"Hey hands off the merchandise. You had your chance buddy…"

"Trust me having sex with you is the furthest thing from my mind, in fact murdering you is higher possibility."

"Youss…always sooooooo mean to me Loki. Why don't you love me anymore…"

Then she started crying like Sigyn had. Exasperated I rolled my eyes and groaned in frustration. Sif had always been emotional, despite the fact that she didn't like to show it. This was a prime example of her emotion baggage coming to the forefront.

"Sif calm down…"

"Don't tell me to calm down!"

Shit, wrong words to say to her right now. Now angry she began to fight me in my arms.

"Put me down! I don't like you anymore!"

"Sif its okay I'm just going to take you to bed…"

"I told you, that you don't get to do that anymore. Just because you're the best sex I've ever had doesn't mean shit."

Sif wiped at her face smearing her make up further. I got the hugest smirk on my face at her words; lucky for me Sif was also unable to keep things to herself when she was drunk (that was how I found out about her harboring feelings for my brother). I watched her stumble around the hallway and put my hands in my pockets following behind her so she didn't do any real damage to herself or my house.

"Sif, I'm not trying to have sex with you and I believe we already established I am not interested in you in that way anymore. I'm only trying to help you."

"Why?"

"We were friends first Sif. I can be your friend."

"Why do you want that Darcy girl and notss meeee? Wasn't I good to you?"

"Sif, it's not about you, we connect on a level you and I don't anymore. It's because we are different. It's okay that we don't. Now, come on I put you and Sigyn in a room"

Sif nodded and I walked next to her helping her into the room and taking the trashcan from the bathroom and putting that one on the other side of her. I checked Sigyn for a pulse and then followed the sound of Volstagg loud laugher to the guest room next to Thor's and found all the guys in the room laid out in the three different beds they normally slept in when they came over.

"Thanks Hogun."

"Yeah yeah. I got dibbs on the extra seat to Miami next time you guys go."

I laughed a small amount and nodded.

"Fine with me. Volstagg, stop laughing already, nothing could be that funny."

"25 is funny!"

I rolled my eyes and closed the door on Volstagg laughing about the number 25. Exhausted I made my way to the kitchen to grab something to drink before I went to bed.

"I take it you all had fun."

I heard from behind me. I turned around to see my father standing there.

"They did. They will be fine and nobody that drove had anything to drink I made sure of that."

"And your dates are they here too?"

He moved into the kitchen pouring himself a drink. Subconsciously, I moved further away from him. It was more of an automatic action now and days.

"No, Amora did not join them in the drive home, and my date and I left the party way before they did to eat before I took her home."

"You left your brother at the party in that state?"

"He was fine when I left; I took his keys and gave them to Hogun who wasn't drinking either. Thor was under watch all night."

"He is your responsibility."

"I didn't father him."

I said flatly. Odin glared at me from the dim light in the kitchen.

"He is family; therefore it makes him your responsibility. How can I expect to leave my company to you if you cannot even take care of your own brother?"

I laughed putting my glass on the counter.

"Oh please don't pretend you have even the slightest intention of letting me running the company. You have that all set for your drunk golden boy upstairs, don't flatter me"

"I know you are weak, you have no care for anyone but yourself. Why should I consider you, besides you and I both know you are only good for one thing, one thing I should remind you of now."

He moved toward me and I panicked knocking the glass off of the counter onto the floor. I looked at Odin, who smirked and then barked at me,

"Clean it up!"

I wasted no time dropping to my knees and picking up the larger pieces and before I could register what was happening my father had stepped on my hand grinding my hand into the broken pieces. I yelled out in pain as the glass caused thick red blood to gush out from the wounds in my hand. Odin yanked me up by the collar of my shirt and forced me to look him in the eyes.

"Fucking weak, I can break you at anytime I want, just like that glass that' in your hand. You always show me damn respect."

He pushed me away when he heard footsteps moving quickly toward the kitchen. He then grabbed my arm to yank me closer so it would look like he was doing something to help me. My mom came flying into the kitchen.

"Oh Loki my sweetheart what happened?"

She started fussing over me and trying to help and she looked at me for the answer to her questions.

"It was an accident mom…"

Odin smirked at me while my mom moved to find a first aid kit...


	6. Burst the hypothetical bubble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If nobody knows, then she is the only one hurt right? That's what Darcy thinks until the bubble gets popped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finally caught up with what is on ff.net. Still looking for beta's if anyone is interested...

Chapter 6: Here In Our Hell

Darcy's Pov:

"Mom? What are you doing and why are there suitcases at the door?"

I looked at her face and instantly knew what was going on.

"Shhh...I don't want your father to hear."

She said hushing me and moving to her bags.

"You're leaving me here with him."

"Sweetheart..."

"No, don't fucking sweetheart me. You are leaving me here with him. You don't get to call me that."

My mom had the grace to look ashamed, while anger started to turn my face red.

"You don't understand your father and I..."

"I'm your daughter, your only daughter. Why would you leave me behind?"

"Look Darcy everything is not about you. You are a big girl now and I can't take this anymore."

I felt the stupid traitor tears fall from my eyes, but they were from a combination of anger, sadness, and worry. I tried to appeal to her; maybe she would take me with her.

"Mom, just let me come with you, I won't be trouble..."

I heard myself say before I could stop myself, my voice trembling.

"It's that Mike doesn't like kids..."

"You're leaving with a man? Mom."

"I'm sorry Darcy, I've got to go."

She picked up her bag and I said.

"Fine, fucking leave I don't care, but you try to take my iPod with you and I promise I'll yell so loud dad will be down the steps before you can turn the knob and we are both stuck here. Make a choice."

My mom didn't say anything; she just sat it on the side table in the same spot I had sat my money in earlier. I ignored that my face was wet and hot and stood glaring at her as she put a duffel bag over her shoulder and wheel a the other suitcase out the door.

As soon as the door closed the dam broke and I felt my heart shatter. I snatched LaSalle from the table and went downstairs to my room, to spend the rest of my night crying...

*The Next Morning*

When I woke up, I had hoped that I had just fallen asleep after Loki dropped me off and my mom leaving was just a bad dream, but hearing various pieces of glass crashing into the walls told me that it hadn't been and my dad knew she was gone.

I tried to burrow myself further into the covers and tune out his yelling and rant. He began to yell my name and I couldn't ignore him any longer, so I dragged myself up the stairs.

"That fucking bitch left! Can you believe that shit!"

I looked around the room seeing all my hard work from yesterday, destroyed. I shook my head, and kept my head down as I began to pick up the mess, not bothering to respond to his comments.

"Dad would you like pancakes for breakfast?"

I offered trying to defuse the situation as best I could. My dad looked at me almost confused then resigned. He nodded at me. I moved to the kitchen to start cooking breakfast, I noted I was going to need to go grocery shopping soon, like today. It hit me how were we supposed to live. We were already struggling with my mom's two jobs; now that she was gone I had to figure out how to not get evicted. I looked at the clock and sighed. I was stressed out and it wasn't even 9am yet. I cooked and starting devising plans to get us out of this mess, at least temporarily.

I sat the hot plate of food in front of my dad and refilled his cup of coffee, trying to figure out how to approach him about my ideas. I let him get about halfway done when I decided to casually stroll into the conversation I needed to have.

"So dad, we need groceries. I was going to go ahead and go to the store today, would you like to go?"

"No, you can take the truck if you need it."

"Thanks, you know I was thinking about the house. You know now that mom is gone, we, we have to take care of this place all by ourselves."

"Yea kid, it looks that way."

"I was wondering if you planned on going back out and getting a job."

"I'm disabled."

"I know."

"I served my country they should be taking care of me."

I nodded in response. My dad had been a soldier, and once he got injured he was discharged and he never fully recovered. That led to the drinking, and then the abuse. Once my dad had been a good father, but he changed and became the man that hit his wife and child and found a friend in an alcohol bottle. Somewhere inside I believed he was a good person, I just think he had gotten trapped in his own mind and lost sight of what was important.

"Yea, they should dad, but sometimes you've got to make them. I think a job could be good for you, you know talking to people, supporting the household."

"Are you saying I don't support the household?"

He said angrily glaring at me from the other side of the table. I realized I said the wrong thing, so I attempted to backtrack.

"No, dad that's not what I'm saying, it's just I want to see you happy. You can't be happy trapped in the house all day. It could be fun to have a job or if you can't work then you should go downtown and let the country take care of you just like you did for them. I'll go with you…"

My dad seemed to think it over and then he shook his head yes.

"Great, we can go on Monday, first thing okay?"

"You got school don't you?"

"It's okay. I'll just stay home, we can write a sick note for the school. This way I can go along with you."

"Fine."

My dad finished his food and I breathed a sigh of relief that I had been able to get him to go get help. I cleared the stuff from the table and went to get dressed so I could go to the store.

*Later that night*

I think while I was gone it sunk in to my dad that my mom was really gone. She had truly left us and wasn't coming back. This did not make him a pleasant thing to come home to after my trip to the store. I couldn't buy his beer for him of course, which I counted as I blessing and curse all at the same time. He had already finished the last of his beer while I had been gone, so he was ranting at me and then when he ran out of derogatory comments and slurs to call me, he slapped me down to the ground and took the keys so he could drive to the store himself. I was grateful that he had only hit me once before leaving, and then I picked myself off the floor and finished unpacking the groceries like nothing had happened…

*Monday Morning*

Monday had rolled around faster than I would have liked it to, but much to my disappointment I wasn't getting away from my dad. I had sent a text to Loki telling him I wasn't feeling well and that I wasn't going to school today. That upset me more than the nearly constant abuse I had gotten all weekend. I really wanted to see him, maybe even kiss him again, if he hadn't realized that I wasn't anybody special by now. I guess maybe me not going to school today would be for the better, because he would talk to his friends and they remind him of what a bad decision this… whatever this was would be for him. Me not being around would give him a chance to have all the reactions he wanted, without me having to see the looks on his face. When he responded to my text message he asked me what was wrong, and I told him I picked up a head cold from my day out at the supermarket, and he said he hoped I would feel better and would catch me up when I got back to school. I had smiled at that, and thanked him, meanwhile I had been tending to a large cut on my back that I gotten from being pushed into a wall that had a picture frame on it. I really didn't like glass anymore; I had considered covering my whole house in bubble wrap so when I got thrown into something it didn't take me down for the count. My face was swollen, plus it was black and blue on one side, so I had to take extra time this morning to apply my makeup correctly so that nobody would expect anything other than a teenage girl wearing make- up or maybe a little too much make up. I got dressed and went upstairs to get my dad moving while I made him breakfast.

"Dad get up."

He didn't move, so I poked him and spoke again

"Dad get up we have to get downtown today."

He grunted and turned over trying to shut me out.

"Dad get up we really don't have time for this. We have to get downtown early so we don't have to wait in a long line. Get up and take a shower, and I know you can hear me so don't play like you can't hear me."

I said pushing at his shoulder. He caught my arm and dragged me down into the bed, and under him. He began to move his hands up and down my sides like that of a lover rather than of father and daughter. Panicking I began to fight against him, clearly he wasn't awake, and I had to wake him before this got ugly…fast.

"Dad get off of me, and let me up! Wake up!"

I yelled and cried into his ear so his hand would stop moving, and he froze up and jumped off of me. I let out a sigh of relief and jumped out the bed. Tears of fear on my face, as my dad looked ashamed.

"I'm sorry Darcy, you look so much like your mother, and I thought you were her. I'm so sorry…"

He wrung his hands together like a reprimanded child and leaned on the wall behind him. As scared as I was I knew he didn't mean it, but it didn't freak me out any less. I said the only thing I could think of…

"Breakfast in 10 minutes, and we leave in 20."

And with that I ran from the bedroom…

*Later*

I ended up filling out most of the paperwork and my dad just signed the bottom. Our case worker had eyed us suspiciously but said nothing. My dad had been in a pissy mood ever since this morning, but he luckily stayed far away from me. I was still weirded out by the whole incident but I didn't want to dwell on it or I'd find myself crying in a corner...

*The Next Morning*

I got up early using the extra time to cover my face well. I also spent more time than normal on my clothes laughing at myself slightly as I did it. I had never been the type of girl to spend days in front of the closet wondering what in the hell to wear, but now because of Loki I had done so twice already. I eventually settled on a purple shirt and a pair of skinnies with my normal pair of shoes. The horn honked outside and I went nervously. This could be the moment that what little hope I have, could be shattered into a million pieces on the floor. Seeing me walk to the car Loki got out and opened the door for me as usual.

"Glad to see you're feeling better."

He leaned down to kiss my cheek, thankfully the one that wasn't sore, and took my bag from me, sliding it into the trunk with his and driving off once we got in the car. It was only then did I notice his hand. It was wrapped up but it looked like it hurt seeing as he barely moved it.

"Oh my Shiz man, what happened to your hand?"

I said startled by the amount of ace bandage around it. Loki turned slightly red, but otherwise with no outward signs of stress he said vaguely...

"Accident."

"Clearly you had an accident. What happened?"

"I cut my hand on some broken glass on Friday night after I got home. No big deal."

I got the sense that Loki was only telling me half the story. He was the most graceful person I knew, so him cutting himself to the point of stitches and ace bandages wasn't entirely believable.

"Oh no. That had to hurt. Did you go to the hospital?"

"Yes, I hate the ER you're in there all night for no reason. It took them forever to even come and see me, then we had to wait on blood work and then they had to give me a shot because of the fact that I had cut myself open. My mom was fussy all weekend."

"Awe, she wanted to take care of her little man."

I joked with my baby voice and tried to pinch his cheeks. He smirked and brushed my hand away.

"She just likes to feel needed, and seeing as I was injured she flocked to closest kid of hers she could take care of. Hell if she had her way I'd be in a bubble until it's time for the stitches to come out."

I laughed at the slightly grimaced look on his face.

"Well maybe we should both stay away from glass then. First my leg, now your hand. Plastic is our new friend okay."

He laughed.

"Or maybe we should both stop being clumsy. Did you need anything before we go to school, bottle of orange juice some cold medicine?"

"If I take cold medicine before I go to school I will be sleeping the whole day. No, I feel much better anyway."

I said keeping up with the story I had given him earlier. He nodded and turned toward the school, parking in his normal spot.

"You'd tell me if something was wrong right?"

Loki asked me out of the blue and I snapped my head toward his face so fast I thought it would break.

"Umm...yea of course. Why wouldn't I?"

I said trying my hardest not to seem nervous or short of breath like I had been. That question took the breath right out of me. Loki stared at me, almost as if he were considering something.

"Good, because if something is wrong you can come to me."

"Thank you. I hope you know you have that same courtesy."

Loki looked at me but didn't respond. I decided to change the topic to something less...intense. We chatted over simple things as we walked into school...

*Later-Lunch*

"You'd much rather sit here under a tree, rather than eat inside?"

I looked up from my book with Loki standing next to me. I smiled and he sat down on the ground to my right.

"Yea I find the tree to much more inviting then a bunch of hormone riddled teenagers just waiting to turn me into the next joke."

"I'll have to agree, but I would much rather eat on a table."

It occurred to me that he never ate lunch other than something small or snack sized.

"Loki you don't even eat lunch"

"Yes, but when I do I prefer it to be on a table."

I laughed and sat my book down so I could take a bite of my apple. Loki watched me as I slowly chewed, the crisp juice somewhat falling out the side of my mouth.

"What? Would you like some?"

"Huh? What?"

I laughed again and held the apple out to him again.

"Would you like some of my apple?"

He took the apple from my hand and took a bite. Call me childish or whatever but it was cute to see Loki eat after me. He handed back the apple and then moved closer as I picked my book back up with the other hand.

"What are you reading?"

He was impossibly close, yanking the book out my hand and beginning to read it out loud. His voice was so soothing and he didn't care when I put my head on his shoulder to listen.

I didn't even notice Sif's glare from the doorway to the outside dining area...

*That night*

Loki's hands were all over me skimming down my sides, resting on my breasts and kneading them with the strength of his hands. I moaned as he captured my mouth into a kiss, his tongue replicating what he wanted to do to me. I reached up tangling my hands in his hair, only to feel his lips move down my neck, and then my chest then kept moving down my body. He was so close to where I wanted him to be!

"Loki" I moaned out just as he was reaching to touch me...

Then something felt off with how he was holding me. I tried to move but he held me in place. I began to thrash around as his smirk became more sinister and a slap to my face caused me to gasp...

I woke up in realizing the slap was real and it wasn't Loki that had been on top of me. My father's whiskey coated breath wafted down to my face and I looked at him with clear panic. He was lying next to me in bed, my shirt open like it hasn't been when I fell asleep.

"Dad what are you doing?"

I was too afraid to move away, too shocked to have to reaction I had before...

"You are taking well to your mom being gone. You want to take her place."

He said running his had up my thigh, only resting when it rested just next to my sex. It was then that I broke out of the shock and scrambled from my bed. Only making it to the steps before my dad dragged me back onto my bed...

*Weeks later*

That first night and every night since then my father had been forcing me to take care of all his sexual needs. It was only by the grace of some deity that he hadn't fully taken me, but it still disgusted me thoroughly. I couldn't fight him off of me and if I tried he'd hit me so hard my head would spin. I wondered if I started hiding his alcohol would this make things easier but I knew it wouldn't.

On the brighter side, things with Loki were going good. He hadn't grown tired of me, in fact he had drawn closer going so far as to make sure everyone knew I was his by kissing me properly in front of everyone, every morning. We spent a lot of time together and even when we weren't together he made sure I missed him. I liked getting the affection that I had never gotten at home, but something in me, possibly the irrational part, questioned Loki's behaviors. He made sure that whenever I was with him I wanted for nothing, but he also had an extremely jealous side. He would have a permeate frown whenever Thor's friends decided to speak to me, even more so when it was Fanderal. It was one of the reasons I was so vehemently hiding what was happening at home from Loki. He could decide it was too much for him and leave me. It was the only bright spot in my day when he kissed me, I hated to admit it, but I needed Loki to keep me sane. I guess that was why I allowed him to be needlessly jealous sometimes.

To my utter surprise Thor had even become somewhat of a friend, choosing to sit outside with us (at a table) and Jane, who I think was the real reason he bonded with me at all. The looks on everyone's faces (mine included) when Jane snapped at him at told him to make a choice and grow up, then the next day came to school with him, wearing his varsity jacket. The looks on the cheerleaders faces when he kissed her was enough to make me explode in laugher. I was so happy for them that I didn't even realize my carefully constructed world was about to fall apart...

Loki's Pov:

My mom spent the entire weekend fussing over me, while my father wore some kind of demented smile every time my hand began to bleed and I had to excuse myself from whatever we were doing to change my bandages. He got pleasure from watching me bleed from an injury he caused, although he had enough sense to stay away from me all weekend and by the time Monday I was glad to go back to school. I got the text from Darcy just before I was about to head out the door to pick her up. Disappointed and slightly nervous she had changed her mind about me I asked her what was wrong; she said that she picked up a head cold over the weekend. I couldn't hear her voice to tell if she had been lying or not but I was going to trust her and believe that if she said it was just a cold then I'd give her that.

When I arrived to school alone, Sif pounced on the chance to rub it in my face that she had been right and being glad I had come to my senses with her. I lived to see the look she had on her face when I told her Darcy only had a cold and would be back before the week was out. I shook the perfectly manicured hand from my shoulder and made my way to class...

*Weeks Later...*

Darcy wasn't being honest with me about something and while it bothered me, I couldn't tell what it was right off. Years of dealing with my father's false representations of love had given me the innate ability to spot a liar right off. Whatever Darcy was hiding had not been pertaining to me and it was only when I asked her if everything was okay when she would get in the car upset or visibly in pain did I get the feeling as she brushed off her discomfort as nothing. It made me slightly more protective of her when she was with me. I wanted to save her from herself despite being unable to stop my own misfortune. I didn't like it when other guys got to close to her, Darcy was more beautiful than she gave herself credit for, and the fact that she was so blatantly unaware of it only attracted the hounds even more, such as Fandral. He ran through more woman than he did water and I could tell he had the same intentions on Darcy. With her I could not idly stand by as one of them took another girl I cared for. The only one who realized my affections for her was Thor and now was making an honest effort to get to know her, but somehow that had changed when he met our third lab partner Jane. He confided me that he had been pursuing her, but she had turned him down repeatedly. He liked that she didn't fall all over herself to get him interested, she just was herself and that endeared him to her, even more so when she said no. Nobody told golden boy no. Finally she agreed to go on one date; they had a great time on said date until he ran into an attractive ex and introduced Jane as everything but his date. She had been so incensed that she refused another date, but of course she relented again only to have him cancel and when she heard the rumors that he had been seen at a party with his tongue down some girls throat she called him out in front of everyone in the cafeteria when he smugly tried to set a date for that evening. That night he came home looking like kicked puppy, for the first time with any girl he was genuinely worried about losing her for good, he knew he had been playing games because he  
thought he would win, but he lost. He asked my advice on the random day I wasn't with Darcy and I told him to do as she had said. Make a choice and stick to it. He promptly called her and left the house. The next day Jane walked into the school holding Thor's hand and wearing Thor's coveted Letterman jacket. Once again the look that made me laugh the most had been the look on Sif's face.

*Lunch-The Next Day*

Darcy and I had just walked into the lunch room, were Darcy wanted to grab a piece of fruit something to drink when we heard from behind us...

"Well if it isn't Loki and his low-class lover. Tell me Darcy how is life on welfare?"...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sif is really going in on Darcy isn't she? I think we should steal her pompoms!


	7. The truth isn't always what we want to hear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning NO beta

Chapter 7: Here in Our Hell

Darcy's Pov:

Loki waited for me outside of my class like he did everyday so we could walk to lunch together. I wasn't completely used to having someone wanting to be around me a lot and sometimes I got nervous when I found his gaze lingering on my face for too long, I just knew he could see the bruises that littered my face, the true filth I knew I was. I felt like I had a big ass neon sign pointing at me, but then he would smile at me and go back to doing what he had been beforehand.

There was a bruise on the side of his face that worried me, but I didn't bring it up. It was clear to me that whatever Loki was going through he wanted to keep quiet. We were discussing the study plans we had for this week with Jane, while grabbing me some fruit and some juice for lunch. Then from behind us we heard Sif's voice say...

"Well if it isn't Loki and his low class lover. Tell me Darcy how is life on welfare?"

I stiffened instantly, turning around to face her, watching the smirk spread across her face slowly. I didn't respond at first so she took the opportunity to continue on.

"So I must say Loki is a great choice to pull you up from the gutter with. Intelligent, handsome and rich. But I won't let you use him anymore."

She said her voice turning into one of an impassioned speech. The whole lunch room keyed in on her words and was staring at us.

"I'm not using him..."

"Save it Darcy. I know the truth, too bad Loki doesn't."

"Shut up."

That was all I could think to say. I knew my face was bright red. How had she found out?"

"No, Loki doesn't deserve this mistreatment."

"Sif what are you talking about?"

I looked at Loki, pleading with him through my eyes to let me explain to him, not her. His eyes narrowed and he turned back to her.

"Loki sweetheart she is only with you because she's poor. Her family has no money, and they've been on welfare for a while now. She's only with you because she needs the money."

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!"

I yelled out. She had somehow figured out I was on welfare and was barely surviving, but I wasn't using Loki for anything.

"Oh so you're not on welfare then? Because I've got records proving otherwise"

"I am but..."

"Oh so now you change your story. You see Loki; she has been lying to cover her ass. Think about it how many times have you paid for her meals, her lunch? She bums a ride from you..."

"Wait a fucking minute I don't bum anything!"

I was pissed, how she could make up all this bullshit, when she had no clue about what I was going through. She didn't even know me well enough to say that shit.

"Is it true?"

Loki said looking at me with a mix of anger, confusion and betrayal etched onto his face. He couldn't honestly believe this shit?

"I..."

I didn't want to admit that I was the girl on welfare in front of a lunchroom full of people. I froze up under his Icy gaze; tears broke loose from my eyes as he clearly made up his mind on who he believed. I took off from the cafeteria ignoring the looks on people's face as I passed. I kept going until I reached a park down the street from my house and I sat down in the grass to cry. I couldn't believe that he would so readily agree with her, shit he didn't even care enough about me to let me truly explain my situation. He only saw me with eyes of hate and distaste. Sif had already made it perfectly clear I didn't belong with him, and I thought he didn't agree, but I guess I was wrong if he let the thought of me not having any money affect him like he did. I wanted to strangle Sif, how dare that selfish bitch dump all those hideous lies all over me in a room full of people. Just because she and her dubious friends were sac chasers, did not mean I was one. I couldn't even bring myself to ask for money because I was ashamed. I hated shopping with a food stamp card, pitiful looks on the faces of the cashiers on one hand, the turned up noses on the other. Like I was a defect for needing these stamps to survive. I laid down on the grass, watching the sky turn into night, ignoring my cellphone buzzing, only using it to call into work. I certainly couldn't go in looking like death warmed over. I was sure my cheap makeup had begun to come off, because I could see it on my hands as I wiped my face repeatedly. Jane had been the one calling me, wanting to know if I was okay and if she could do anything for me. My dad had called a few times as well but I didn't want to talk to him about anything. I wasn't sure if I could handle anything else today. The stars shined brightly in the sky and I suddenly wished I was up in the sky with them. I couldn't take this anymore. The constant abuse, the blatant dislike by everyone in my life, and now I had lost Loki. Sadly he had really had been the only thing good in my life, and now even he was gone. Maybe Sif and my father had been completely right about me. I was useless, unneeded, and unwanted. Maybe life would be much better without me around to fuck it up for everyone else. I fished around in my backpack until I found the new nearly full bottle of pain relievers. I poured a large handful and opened my now warm drink from earlier in my hand. I was seconds from tossing the pile into my mouth when my phone buzzed. Text from Loki

"Darcy we need to talk."

I poured the pile back into the bottle picking up the phone out of the grass and replying

"I agree."

I waited for a reply but nothing came and I for some stupid reason to not go through with my ballsy plan to lie down under the stars until I ceased to breath. I got up trudging my way home, only to be knocked into the floor as soon as I opened the door. The affirmation of my worthless made me rethink my idea of going home to take a shower and go to bed. Oddly enough my father didn't continue on with his abuse, but made the choice to leave me alone. I took that as a blessing and did my best not fall over the fragile edge of my sanity...

*Two days later*

Loki didn't come to school the next day, or the day after that. I endured the name calling, the tripping and the outright pity. Hell I even had loose change thrown at me, but I did my best to keep focused on getting through my school work. It really was always the goal, to get high enough grades to get the fuck out of this hell-hole and never look back. Jane had begged me to talk about it, but I outright refused. It wasn't anybody's business that my family was in mortal peril and I wanted to off myself every other second. Nobody truly cared for me, they only wanted the sob story, and that was something my pride was not willing give. My final straw came when Tyr a basketball player cornered me as I was walking to my gym class and said if I was hurting so bad for money, then I should let him fuck me and he'd pay me a 50 spot for it.

"Go fuck yourself" was my polite reply and I pushed him out my way to get changed for class.

I heard Sif catty giggle as she passed by and I ignored the urge to jump on her. I put on the uniform and walked out just before the class began. As the norm, the coach ignored anyone he couldn't make into a football star. I sat by myself book in hand, trying to ignore the looks that were passed my way. It was only when Sif began talking loudly did I pay attention.

"Yeah, I knew something wasn't right about her. So I had a friend of my dad's do a little digging and he came up with a whole file, welfare cases, dishonorable charge on her dad, he's a fucking bum who hasn't worked in years, they have all kinds of domestic violence cases on them, her mom filed for divorce in like a whole other state, like freaking Nebraska. I knew I had to save Loki from that cancer, and let's just say he thanked me over, and over, and OVER again until I could barely do my handsprings in practice last night..."

That was it at the obvious admittance to sleeping with Loki that I snapped. It was sort of like an outside looking in type of deal, with me watching myself walk over to her parting the mindless gossip hags and getting right in her face.

"I don't have any cash for you, but you can come clean my house for 2 dollars an hour if you'd like."

The group began to laugh at me.

"I am going to warn you only once, and that is to keep my fucking name out of your mouth. You don't know jack shit about what goes on in my house, so don't fucking talk about shit you can't even begin to comprehend."

"Or what? Are you going to pay someone to kick my ass? Oh wait I forgot you're broke..."

And without warning I reared back and punched the shit of her, enjoying feeling her face break under my hands.

"MY NOSE!"

She cried out reaching up to try to stop the bleeding.

"Oh please bitch you've got the receipt! Now keep my fucking name out your mouth or I promise you'll be spending the next years allowance on new teeth.

Blood sprouted from her face and I turned and walked away, everyone eyes on me as I ignored the coach yelling at me to go the principal's office, knowing that was where he was going to send be anyway.

I honestly didn't care that I was possibly going to be suspended or whatever, it was the pure joy I got from seeing Sif suffer.

*Later*

The principal suspended me for two days behind the whole fighting incident, but I didn't care much. I went home and cooked dinner and then took a walk to my spot in the park, I only returned home after I was sure my father would be passed out drunk. I was walking up the street.

"I heard you punched Sif in the face today."

I jumped as Loki came out from behind the tree, I looked around him and made note of his car being down the street from my house. He had on his signature black leather jacket making him blend in even further with the night.

"Maybe I did. So what?"

"Why? Didn't like she exposed you for what you've been hiding from me?!"

He said angrily walking closer to me. Instead of breaking me, his accusation only served to piss me off.

"Oh fuck you Loki. You don't know even half of the shit I've gone through, so please do us both a favor and let's not pretend I was ever going to be good enough for you."

"What in the hell does that have anything to do with you using me?!" Loki said to me.

"It has everything to do with this situation. And cut the pity party bullshit please, I never EVER used you, and you know that. You and Sif can do you whole back and forth mind-fuckery game play, foreplay shit if you want, but next time leave me out of it okay!"

I shoved past him only to have him grab my arm to stop me, but in the same spot I had deep gashes from the night before. I yelped and yanked my arm out of his hands only to see blood bleeding through the fabric on my shirt. Loki looked at his hand and then my arm confused, knowing he didn't put that much pressure on my arm to make it bleed.

"What happened to your arm?" He almost looked concerned, if only in my imagination of the dark lighting.

"Nothing. Besides you've made it painfully clear you don't give a damn about me or you wouldn't be here accusing me of using you."

He moved closer trying to get a hold of my arm again.

"Darcy, you're bleeding. At least let me help you."

"I don't need you! I'd hate to fucking 'use' you again."

"Darcy don't put this all on me like this shit is my fault. I came for answers, not to watch you bleed all over the god-damn pavement. Now let me help you!"

He was giving me the no nonsense faces with the set jaw and pointed look on his face. I begrudgingly held out my arm, he took the sleeve of my shirt and pushed it up past the festering cut on my arm. I hissed as the wet fabric pulled away from my open cuts. Judging by the look on Loki's face, I could tell it would be hard to convince him I had done this to myself on accident.

"Darcy how did this happen?"

His face softened slightly, and I couldn't take the pity in his eyes, so I pulled away angry. Pity was the last thing I needed from anyone.

'I don't want your pity. I don't need it."

I tried to walk away but he still had a grip on my arm. He held it tighter and looked at the jagged cut down the side of my arm, clearly deliberate, but not something I could do myself.

"What do you want, oh wait let me guess my money. What did you think I would never find out?"

"What do you know? Do you know anything about what it's like to live check to check? To go home and not be sure if there would be food there for you to eat? If you would have electricity that month? No you don't! Don't get pissed because you found out through that Money- hungry whore that my family is on welfare. You think you know me Loki and everything about everyone, but you don't! Not everybody was born with a golden spoon in their mouths; we have to work to live."

"Don't try to use my birth against me. My life isn't perfect, but I don't go around praying on others to make my life better."

"That's such BS Loki, you and I both know the only reason you are here to talk to me now is to make yourself feel better, not to feel like you were being used. Even then you weren't ever being used by me."

Loki looked away as the words sunk in, the look in his eyes telling me I had struck a nerve. I continued to talk getting more riled up as I went along, the weight of all I had been feeling and hiding raging up inside of me.

"You cannot honestly stand there and say that I would ever use you, that I ever asked you for anything. I barely like you paying for things when we go out, yet you let Sif drive into your head that I was only out to hurt you. You think you know ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT I'VE GONE THROUGH. Tell me about my life Loki! TELL ME WHAT I'VE GONE THROUGH! You can't because you don't know! Well since your so convinced let me break it down for you. My mother up and decided, the night after our first date, that she is leaving me behind to run off with some man, and taking all of the money she could get her hands on with her. You want to know why she left."

I said too angry to stop myself, Loki's eyes softened, I didn't give him a chance to answer me.

"No. Let me give you a hint. My father is RAGEING alcoholic. His only friends are Jack Daniels, and Vodka, and his family well we only exist when he wants dinner or a clean house and guess what happens when we don't."

I pointed to my arm and his head dropped down, while his eyes widened. I had begun to cry at some point during my speech

"Oh and let's not forget when he wants sex. Guess who has to take care of all of that while mom is gone? Huh, I don't hear shit about welfare now do I? Welfare is only the tip of the iceberg. Tell me I'm using you now. You pretended to care about me, yet you didn't even notice!"

I cried backing further away from him, unable to look him directly in the face. I could tell he was searching for my eyes, but I couldn't do it. As my words sunk in, inside of my own mind, I began to panic, if thought it was bad that everyone knew I was on welfare, it would be way worse for everyone to know I was my father whore. I'd never get any peace of mind, and I'd truly be all alone, shit even Jane would leave me. My hands flew up to my mouth.

"LOKI! Please don't tell ANYONE! Please don't tell anyone. PLEASE, please, please..."

I began to sigh, the gravity of situation making me hysterical. I didn't even notice, Loki use his long legs to move right up on me and pull me into his arms, being careful of my arm. His familiar scent filled my nostrils and I tucked myself into his chest even further, his dark shirt becoming wet under my tears.

"You ...can't tell...'

He held tighter

"I won't. I know the fears you have, because I have them too..."

*Later*

Loki ushered me to his car, ignoring the questioning look on my face at his admission. I couldn't say I was surprised that Loki had been or was in the same boat I was in. I noticed the finger prints that littered his neck, the fist shaped bruises on his face, I was truly no better than him. I noticed, but never said anything. I mean sure I hinted and made sure he knew he could tell me anything, but I still did nothing about what I knew. I noticed the signs, but instead of stepping up I wrote them off as Loki's personality tributes. He drove until we reached the lake that would be empty at this time of the night, otherwise it would be filled with our classmates enjoying the water, but right now it was just us.

We ended up leaving our shoes in the car, and walking out to sit on the sand, shoulder to shoulder, looking out to the glassy surface. Loki didn't say anything at first, only staring forward.

"If I tell you. You cannot tell anyone, not ever, not even if you're disgusted, or you hate me afterword..."

"Loki I wouldn't do that to you. Hell, I'd punk out beforehand even if I did think about it. Besides I couldn't hate you if I tried."

"Yea, that is what you think."

"Loki you can trust me."

He looked up staring me in the eyes, and then I realized this was a moment that defined our relationship. We had been spending most of time since we had started trying to determine if we could trust each other, never really telling each other the truth because we had been so afraid to say anything to anyone.

"My father is not the man everyone thinks he is..."

Loki's Pov:

I felt Darcy stiffen up beside me at Sif's words. Welfare? What was she even talking about? Sif wasted no time and kept talking, just as the whole cafeteria began to listen.

"So I must say Loki is a great choice to pull you up from the gutter with. Intelligent, handsome and rich. But I won't let you use him anymore."

The words pierced me like a hot knife. Used? Had I honestly sat idly by while Darcy used me for my money?

"I'm not using him..."

Darcy said in defense of herself.

"Save it Darcy. I know the truth, too bad Loki doesn't."

"Shut up."

"No, Loki doesn't deserve this mistreatment."

"Sif what are you talking about?"

"Loki sweetheart she is only with you because she's poor. Her family has no money, and they've been on welfare for a while now. She's only with you because she needs the money."

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!"

I watched the two go back and forth; my own brain wrapping around the idea that Darcy had been lying to me. As much of a total bitch Sif could be to me she had always been out to protect me, and always looking out for me. If she said this, then it was more than likely true. I was suddenly glad I never got too attached to Darcy. But then again why did I feel like my heart was breaking?

"Oh so you're not on welfare then? Because I've got records proving otherwise"

"I am but..."

"Oh so now you change your story. You see Loki; she has been lying to cover her ass. Think about it how many times have you paid for her meals, her lunch? She bums a ride from you..."

"Wait a fucking minute I don't bum anything!"

"Is it true?"

I asked. I needed her to tell me it was all a lie, hear her admit that she had been using me to make off the state's welfare list. She looked up at me, her eyes glassy with un-shed tears.

"I..."

She took one look at the cafeteria all watching her, and then back at me. She ran out the door before I could stop her. Good, she should feel at least a fraction of the embarrassment she caused me. I mean would never get away from this, not while I was in high school. This was the exact reason I had previously refused to date anybody from this school. I had to face all these people and see the laughter and hear them call me stupid and foolish all day long. She had turned me into a laughing stock. Sif moved closer to me putting her hand on my shoulder, glaring at anyone who was still staring at me. I was grateful for the intervention so no one would see how red I was currently turning. She got real close to my ear and whispered

"I told you I'd always have your back, Loki."

I didn't make much of a response, making sure to nod, before storming out of the cafeteria. I searched for Darcy, but she was long gone. I thought about calling her, but I was so angry that my temper would get the best of me and the results would not be acceptable to my family reputation. I ended up leaving school, telling the nurse I had possibly caught the stomach flu and needed to go home. She signed the release and I was allowed to drive myself home.

When I got home, my parents weren't home, and I was able to ignore Thor's phone calls and text messages trying to determine if I was okay. Memories of Darcy flooded my mind, I tried to disconcert where she had lied and I had missed it, but I couldn't find one. She had been hiding something from me, that much had been obvious throughout our whole courtship, but to me it had seemed what she was hiding hadn't been related to me. I guess I had been wrong. What was it about her that I couldn't tell she was a lying train wreck waiting to pull me down worse than that whore Amora? Why hadn't I seen it? I was known to be able to tell a lie right off, but she totally fucked up my radar. I stared at the ceiling for hours trying work up enough steam to call Darcy so we could talk, but every time I thought about it I'd get all pissed and took longer to calm back down. After my 5th attempt at pressing the dial button, I settled on texting her instead.

"We need to talk"

I pressed the button, and only a minute later did she respond with

"Agreed" nothing more, nothing less. She had no reason to even say anything back to me, and I half didn't expect she would, but she did. I didn't have a response yet. I could ask her to meet me somewhere, or go her house because I wasn't even sure if I could handle seeing her. I hadn't realized how long I had been sitting in bed, starring at the ceiling until my mom came bursting in the room.

"Oh thank god, you're alive! I thought something had happened to you."

She began to fuss over me, while my father stood in the doorway. I started moving away from her again, to which she slowed down on her check.

"Mom I'm fine."

"The school called and said they sent you home early, because you had the stomach flu. I've been calling since 5 to make sure you were okay."

I looked at my phone and it was 5: 30 with 10 missed calls, no including the ones from Thor.

"Oh well its passed rather quickly, maybe I just needed to get it off my stomach. I'm fine now."

"Good, because we are going to dinner with Baldur and his family in one hour get dressed."

"I'm still feeling a bit sick now that you mention it mom."

"Bullshit boy, get up and get ready. Your brother will be home within the next 10 minutes so he can get ready."

I rolled my eyes and sat up straight, finding I couldn't make myself vomit like I had earlier in the nurse's office. I hadn't eaten since then so it made it damn near impossible. My parents left my room only after I stood up from my bed and walked into my closet...

*Later on that night...*

"Glad to see you two young men will be staying with us for dinner tonight.'

Baldur said from the other side of his wife, while his daughter sat between her mother and Loki, who had been gradually moving his chair away from her, only to have her move closer. They party had just finished dinner and Sigyn would not stop attempting to play footies with me under the table, what pissed me off further was the fact that I couldn't get Darcy off my mind.

"So Loki, I heard about what happened today. I knew she was bad news." Sigyn said rather loudly interrupting the current conversation I wasn't in, from the beginning. I froze up inside as everyone looked at me.

"She?" my father said

"What happened?" My mother asked.

"It's nothing."

"I knew when you brought her around, she only be after you for your money. I'm sorry she tried to use you like that."

I wondered how long I could strangle Sigyn, before her father killed me.

"Sweetheart what happened?"

Frigga mollycoddled. Meanwhile my father became enraged.

"Haven't I warned you about those girls?! All they want is your money, and you're going to be stupid enough to let that gold-digger get ahold of all our hard earned money."

He went on and on with Baldur about the integrity of women and how they would do anything to get everything they wanted, and how his Sigyn wasn't like that. I scoffed at that. She was the epitome of gold-digging pawn, always in play for the next big thing. I wouldn't be surprised, if she doesn't conceive on the first night of whatever poor bastard marries her, just to secure her spot in his pocket for at least 18 years. I was getting angrier and angrier at the names they were calling Darcy, the only person who hadn't said anything on the topic was Thor, who watched my anger build, and only nodded when I reached the boiling point of my rage to let me know it was okay and he agreed.

"THAT IS ENOUGH! Not one of you knows her at all to be judging her, and for your information Siygn check your sources on which you get your information from about my love life. Darcy is not using me for my money. While I appreciate all of your concern in my choice of women, I assure you all, I am perfectly capable of picking out a good woman, with that being said, I think I will excuse myself, because honestly I think my stomach flu is coming back."

I got up from the table, and walked away leaving my family silent in the private room they had rented in an over the top place, with amateur tasting food.

What had I said? I didn't even know if what I had said was true. In fact, I was pretty sure I just lied. Darcy had used me, yet I defended her in front of my family, and guests, surely to face my father's wrath later…

*The Next morning*

School was not happening for me at all when I woke up the next morning so I pretended my stomach flu had come back when my mom asked why I wasn't dressed for school. She agreed and left me alone with a bowl full of peppermints and promises to hospitalize me if I didn't feel better soon. I spent my day trying to forget Darcy and plan a battle strategy of how I would play off Darcy's betrayal and possibly hurt her like she had hurt me. My plans didn't work, every thought I had was invaded by good memories of her, while I tried my damnedest to find something wrong with my memories again. I couldn't which only irritated me even further. Then every time I tried to plan out the perfect version of revenge for her, but I could see it all happen and then the thought of the type of pain and embarrassment she could suffer at my hands, could possibly do to her and I couldn't go through with it…

*The next day*

I skipped out on school again, not ready to face the wrath of my peers, and seeing as Siygn found out in milliseconds what happened, I could only imagine how quickly our little lunch room blow out spread around the school. I was sitting in the music room, the piano our mother had forced me to learn how to play was sitting in the corner, waiting for me to play it, which I hadn't touched since I was 13. It used to be since of calm for me, a play where I could just fade away but life set in and I honestly am never truly happy enough to actually play it, let alone anything that came out of it would be mostly the painful compositions I had created over the years. No, I certainly wasn't able to hear my pain out loud. Though, now being in this room caused my fingers to twitch with long forgotten notes and memories of my fingers brushing against the keys caused me to start inching toward the piano. I was going to sit down when Thor came in the house, his loud booming voice calling my name as he attempted to find me.

"Loki! Loki, brother where are you at?"

I huffed walking to the wall where the intercom system sat and pressed the button and I heard it sound throughout the house.

"Thor you do realize that we have an intercom in every room right?"

"Loki where are you brother, I have news for you."

"Music room."

Thor didn't respond but entered the room only moments later.

"Oh did you miss a good school day."

"Thor tell me what happened, or don't bother me, I'm busy."

"Have you talked to Darcy today?"

I glared at him and began to walk away. He grabbed my arm stopping me.

"I'll take that as a no. Well in gym today, Sif was engaging in some semi-harmless teasing, and Darcy snapped out on her. I am unsure of what Sif said but it was enough to make Darcy crossed over to her and just straight out punched out her in the face."

My head popped up, eyebrows furrowed. Darcy had punched Sif in the face? What in the hell?

"Darcy punched Sif in the face? Darcy is pretty passive in nature, what did Sif say to push Darcy's reaction?"

Thor's eyes narrowed slighting, lighting up and he caught a slight smirk of realization gracing his face.

"I'm not sure, but I heard it had something to do with you. Why don't you go and talk to her yourself and figure it out."

Thor said suggestively.

"I don't want to talk to her. I hope she gets every ridicule she deserves."

"You don't mean that."

"Don't pretend to know what I mean."

"I am not pretending. Brother, I won't lie and say I know Darcy well enough state without a doubt of her intentions with her, and Sif has been our friend since youth, but I don't think you have the whole story. Go talk to her."

"So you no longer trust Sif?"

"I do, but you know how judgmental she can be sometimes, and maybe there is a legit story why Darcy didn't tell you she was on welfare. And if there isn't you deserve to know the truth."

I let Thor's words roll around in my head, hating that they actually made sense for once at the time I wanted him to be wrong.

"Damn you Thor."

"Go see her."

I nodded and left the room...

Later

Darcy's house was just as dark as it always was by the time I made it to her house after dinner. There was no car outside, but I didn't want to leave without talking to her so I pulled up next to a tree a block away from her house and waited inside my car. It only took five minutes for an old familiar truck I had seen her in before. I got out my car hoping to catch Darcy before she made it into the house, but only a man who I was guessing was her father gets out the car, looking like he hadn't showered or shaved and all around shady guy. I didn't get the best feeling from him, and I backed away rather than ask him about Darcy. I pulled out my phone to call her buy in the distance I saw her walking up the block, iPod in ears, ignoring the world. Just seeing she gave me mixed emotions, of anger yet I was happy to see her. She got closer as I stayed leaning on my car, and as she almost walked by me, I stepped out from my spot realizing I was behind the tree where I could see her, but she couldn't see me.

"I heard you punched Sif in the face today."

I held back the smirk at her jump by being surprised by me.

"Maybe I did. So what?"

She offered no excuses for her actions, only a confirmation. Darcy was a lot like me in the sense of if I was going to punch somebody in face I had a reason and I wouldn't apologize for it either.

"Why? Didn't like she exposed you for what you've been hiding from me?!"

Instead of shrinking back at my obvious anger and got pissed off herself. The look of outright anger on her face almost startled me, and it reminded me of the first time she spoke to me.

"Oh fuck you Loki. You don't know even half of the shit I've gone through, so please do us both a favor and let's not pretend I was ever going to be good enough for you."

"What in the hell does that have anything to do with you using me?!" She did this because she thought she wasn't good enough? Well that was backward. Didn't her being with me prove that she was enough?

"It has everything to do with this situation. And cut the pity party bullshit please, I never EVER used you, and you know that. You and Sif can do you whole back and forth mind-fuckery game play, foreplay shit if you want, but next time leave me out of it okay!"

She through her shoulder into me as she stomped past. I only had a chance to grab her arm. Only something happened to her. Darcy yelped out in pain and I watched as red, bled through her shirt. I didn't realize she had been hurt. The amount of blood appearing told me the injury was new, and it had to be painful. I watched her bite back her tears.

"What happened to your arm?"

"Nothing. Besides you've made it painfully clear you don't give a damn about me or you wouldn't be here accusing me of using you."

How had this confrontation turned into an attack on me? I tried to get closer, she never

"Darcy, you're bleeding. At least let me help you."

"I don't need you! I'd hate to fucking 'use' you again."

"Darcy don't put this all on me like this shit is my fault. I came for answers, not to watch you bleed all over the god-damn pavement. Now let me help you!"

I stared at her and she gave in after a few moments, holding her arm out toward me, for me to take. I took it, pulling the sleeve of shirt up ignoring the hiss as the shirt pulled away from her open flesh. The cuts she had on the top of her arm were borderline gruesome, jagged, and deep, honestly needed stiches, but these were deliberate. Judging buy where they are on her arm she couldn't done it by herself on accident. Somebody had to have hurt her; it was like a mix of deja-vu and realization when I connected the dots. All of Darcy's odd behavior came to the fore front, all the little incidents where I felt like she hadn't been honest with me she had been hiding abuse from me. "Darcy how did this happen?"

I asked with a soft voice. I wanted her to tell me the truth. I needed it before I moved forward with her. Flashbacks of my own abuse ran through my mind as I waited for her to tell me.

'I don't want your pity. I don't need it."

I understood, she was having the same knee-jerk reactions I have whenever somebody asks me about a scar or an injury. It was projection from even more hurt.

"What do you want, oh wait let me guess my money. What did you think I would never find out?"

It slipped out before I could catch it, but I wanted to hear it. If she just said it I could justify every insane innate need to protect her that I had, had since I had met her. She spoke before I could open my mouth to beg her…

"What do you know? Do you know anything about what it's like to live check to check? To go home and not be sure if there would be food there for you to eat? If you would have electricity that month? No you don't! Don't get pissed because you found out through that Money- hungry whore that my family is on welfare. You think you know me Loki and everything about everyone, but you don't! Not everybody was born with a golden spoon in their mouths; we have to work to live."

I stiffened; she didn't realize that we were one in the same.

"Don't try to use my birth against me. My life isn't perfect, but I don't go around praying on others to make my life better."

"That's such BS Loki, you and I both know the only reason you are here to talk to me now is to make yourself feel better, not to feel like you were being used. Even then you weren't ever being used by me."

I looked away, knowing she was right. She knew me well enough to know I hadn't come over here to work it out, I came to break her, let her know she choose the wrong one to scam, but she hadn't realized she changed me enough to at least second guess that plan and think about not hurting her, as from before she wouldn't even get a warning about the hell I could unleash on her,

"You cannot honestly stand there and say that I would ever use you, that I ever asked you for anything. I barely like you paying for things when we go out, yet you let Sif drive into your head that I was only out to hurt you. You think you know ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT I'VE GONE THROUGH. Tell me about my life Loki! TELL ME WHAT I'VE GONE THROUGH! You can't because you don't know! Well since your so convinced let me break it down for you. My mother up and decided, the night after our first date, that she is leaving me behind to run off with some man, and taking all of the money she could get her hands on with her. You want to know why she left."

I looked at her, wanting to pull her into me, but I knew she had to get this all out, and I needed to hear it. I wanted to not believe it, but I knew she was completely bare for me to see.

"No. Let me give you a hint. My father is RAGEING alcoholic. His only friends are Jack Daniels, and Vodka, and his family well we only exist when he wants dinner or a clean house and guess what happens when we don't."

The tears streamed down her face and she pointed her arm, the corners of my eyes pricked and she continued on.

"Oh and let's not forget when he wants sex. Guess who has to take care of all of that while mom is gone? Huh, I don't hear shit about welfare now do I? Welfare is only the tip of the iceberg. Tell me I'm using you now. You pretended to care about me, yet you didn't even notice!"

I shook my head hoping she had been speared the pain of being sexually assaulted, least of all by someone we cared about. She didn't say anything for a while, not touching her until she said so. If her abuse was anything like me, then she was careful about who she let touch her. She cried and suddenly she realized what she said to me and her hands flew up to her mouth. She began to panic.

"LOKI! Please don't tell ANYONE! Please don't tell anyone. PLEASE, please, please..."

She sounded so desperate to gain my silence. I couldn't wait anymore and moved to pull her into my arms. She did resist, only let her tears come through the fabric of my shirt. Through her tears were warm, they felt cold to me. How could I have been so blind? A horrible boyfriend at that. I had all of this standing in front of me and I remained so blind to it all.

"You ...can't tell...'

She was shaking as she spoke. I held her tighter to me. It was then I took a breath and decided to tell her something I had never told a soul about.

"I won't. I know the fears you have, because I have them too..."

*Later*

She didn't say much of anything on the ride. I had put her in the car once she calmed down. I wanted to tell her everything, even though I was sure she would leave, I had to at least tell her she wasn't alone. We went to a lake that I knew would be empty at this time of night. To be honest I had never been more afraid of anything than to tell someone what my truth was. For me this was like admitting that I wouldn't or couldn't wake up from this nightmare. The only light at the end of the tunnel was Darcy, and I was nervous that she would decide she couldn't take on me and my problems with her own. Would she simply walk away, leaving me with even greater feelings of self-worthlessness and loneliness that had been spiraling into full blown isolation? I looked out at the still water; I couldn't look her in the eyes while I told her. After seeing her look to the water from the corner of my eye I said:

"If I tell you. You cannot tell anyone, not ever, not even if you're disgusted, or you hate me afterword..."

She looked upset that I would assume that. She shook her head in agreement and spoke.

"Loki I wouldn't do that to you. Hell, I'd punk out beforehand even if I did think about it. Besides I couldn't hate you if I tried."

"Yea, that is what you think."

Who really could love me?

"Loki you can trust me."

Her eyes said she was sincere. It was painful to see the same pain that was hidden behind my eyes, reflected in her own. It was also oddly comforting as well. It was time to let someone in, maybe I wasn't destined to roam alone in this world anymore. Trust has to start somewhere...

"My father is not the man everyone thinks he is..."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I want to start off by saying I owe all of my readers an apology. Though it was not my intention, I have let this story fall to the wayside and not been working on it as I should have. I want to thank every last one of you for reading this story and sticking with it. I hadn't realized what an impact this story had made within this community until I received the personal messages and reviews letting me know how much you missed this story and what it had done for you as a reader I have cried over those messages and I am touched and I am honored be be welcomed into your lives with this story.
> 
> Thank you for all you support and I hope to continue read this story
> 
> -Singeramg
> 
> Please enjoy and if you feel so inclined let me know what you think! :)

Here in Our Hell: Chp 9

Darcy's pov:

*1 month later*

Loki was acting strange I mean his father was still a sick jackass much like my father, but it was something else going on. He was moody, somewhat distant, and it was the times alone that scared me the most, he would sit in his thoughts. We were due to leave for the Stark internship in like a week and he still wasn't himself.

We were sitting at a restaurant on a Saturday, some chain type place with cheesy movie items that were just for show. He was picking at his food, finally I had enough.

"Loki what is wrong?"

He looked up plastering that fake smile he gave me or anyone that he didn't feel like answering and said

"Nothing how is your food?"

"It is fine, but you're not. Please talk to me."

"Darcy I just said I'm fine. Now let's finish our food."

I looked at him with tears in my eyes, he was shutting me out. I was about to lose him and I wasn't even sure why. Why was he acting so cold?"

"Loki you can't do that to me."

"Do what Darcy?"

"Act like I'm just some girl off the street. I have eyes and I know something is not right with you. Is it your father again?"

He looked at me eyes narrowed.

"Don't speak on that. Now stop your crying and eat your food."

He borderline growled out to me. I sat back shocked.

"You want to act like a dick then fine, be a dick, but I won't stay around and let you do that to me. I've had enough abuse from my father; I can't take it from you too."

I stood up my appetite lost to the fact that my ears were ringing and my stomach was rolling.

"You want to walk away from me too. Fine leave, I knew you were no better than the rest."

I glared at him.

"Don't try and act like I haven't been trying to be there for you Loki. I love you and I know something is bothering you. I'm asking you what it is because I can't stand seeing you in so much discord with yourself."

Loki sighed but didn't say much, only looked down at his plate. He reached up taking my wrist in his hand pulling me into the seat next to him.

"Just talk to me."

"My parents are fighting, and I'm sure it's my fault."

"Why would you think that?"

"I overheard them a month ago talking about me, rather they were arguing about me. They haven't had a conversation that wasn't tense and cold since."

"What were they saying when you overheard them."

"My mom was saying there was something I should know and my father was not going for it. He shut her down."

"And you haven't found what it is you should know?"

I questioned gently hoping he could share it with me.

"No, I have no idea. I have done everything I could to figure out what it could be and I can't."

I had not a damn clue as to what his parents were hiding, and I saw how it was tearing his brain up to not know. I moved closer, kissing him softly on the lips.

"I can't tell you what is going on with them, but I wouldn't worry too much about it, they probably want to tell you something that seems like a big deal to them, but it will be something you won't give two shits about in the end. So just get excited about this trip and I don't want to see any moping for the next two weeks…"

*One week later*

Loki made good on his word and for the past week he was on his best behavior. I spent as much time as I could beforehand making sure my dad would be okay while I was away while packing my clothes and preparing for the trip. My dad was quiet for most of the week, only causing a ruckus when his football team didn't win, but I only had to wipe up a spill from a plastic cup with juice inside.

Loki said he would pick me up from my house so we could ride to and from the airport together. I was lugging my bag up the steps while my father was sitting in the living room. He turned around to face me at the sound of me huffing up the stairs.

"And just where in the hell do you think you're going?!"

I jumped, dropping my bag.

"I told you dad, I get to go on the one week internship to California. At the cool place that makes your RC helicopters."

I said calmly, if I looked remotely nervous he would pounce on it. He stood up rushing me before I had a chance to register what was happening and I was on the ground. I yelped in pain as my head and side of my face smacked into the ground. He didn't care and grabbed the side of my face.

"Listen here you little bitch, if you don't behave yourself I will make you pay for embarrassing this family."

He stood up and yanked me to my feet, tossing me into the wall next to the staircase. His hand gripped the side of my neck and looked me in my eyes.

"And if you think for one second anyone will believe you if you tell them anything then you are stupider then I thought. You even breathe wrong to them about us and I will make your life Hell!"

With one final rough push into the wall, he let me go, just in time for the horn to honk outside, signaling Loki's arrival.

"Too late" I whispered with a few tears on my face.

I picked up my stuff from the floor and walked out the door, tears rolling down my face from the throbbing on the side of my face and my head. I was startled when I heard "Darcy!" I looked up and saw Jane and Thor smiling widely and Loki got out the backseat. He took my bag from my hand and put it in the trunk. He closed it, and stopped me from getting in the car.

"What is wrong? Did something happen?"

"I'm fine Loki, let's go."

I tried moving away but he grasped my hand.

"You are not fine. Stop bullshitting me and tell me what happened?"

His eyes were a mix between serious and worried.

"It's just the usual with my dad. Let's just get as far away as we can."

I knew he wouldn't press the issue any further at least not while his brother and my father were still so close by. He just took me into his arms and hugged me tightly.

"It won't be forever Love."

He kissed the top of my head and then helped me into the car. I faked a smile when I got in.

"Hey Jane, Thor! I didn't know you guys were taking us to the Airport."

Loki responded.

"Our parents had an engagement that they couldn't miss. Thor offered to take us."

"Cool. Thanks Thor!" I faked optimism and clicked my seatbelt over my body, and jumping slightly when Loki put his hand on my knee...

*Stark Industries*

"My name is Pepper Potts CFO of Stark Industries. We are so very excited to have the brightest young minds and the future of engineers of tomorrow here with us as a part of this year's Stark Industries Building a Better world Engineering style or B.a.b.e.s for short."

The crowd laughed at the anagram for the program name. Pepper Potts was almost everything I aspired to be! The head of one of the largest companies in the world, a handsome boyfriend, a cool intelligence and calm demeanor that could rival any man in the field and not to mention her sense of fashion was killer. Her heels screamed "Piss me off and I'll puncture your neck with my stiletto while it's on my foot." She was amazingly awesome and the only reason she was ALMOST everything was because I wanted to stick Tony Stark's brain in Pepper's body and they would be perfect. I vaguely listened as Pepper Pots finished her speech about focusing on the goal of learning and creating, while refraining from pulling on the hemline of her white sleeveless, asymmetrical top and keeping the black knee-length skirt in place just slightly above her knee. She didn't say much of what I didn't expect. Boys and girls had separate sleeping accommodations, breakfast, lunch and dinner were requirements no matter how much you wanted to stay and work on your prototype. Lights out at 10:00pm and you would have a commanding scientist who was to be listened to and respected. I rolled my eyes at the small looking men all in a row behind the podium but still on the stage. I 'tufted' under my breath; I could get past them easy if I wanted to. Loki was watching the stage his eyes shifting back and forth between each counselor. He seemed to be calculating his best decision regarding a scientist to study under. I knew him well enough that he would do whatever it took to get out of a situation if it didn't benefit him. After the "Stark speech" (as I had so aptly named it) they made sure we were all accounted for and told us who were roommates and where to go.

Loki kissed my cheek and sent me on my way with the female division. I was in room 19 with three girls. We each chose a bed, and took a seat when a girl with brown hair that had white bangs spoke first.

"Okay let's get the awkwardness out the way I am Anna Marie. I go to a school out in Washington. The state, not the district."

She grabbed my bad arm before I could stop her and I hissed.

"I am so sorry! Sometimes I don't know my own strength! I'm working on that."

I shook my head in denial.

"No, it wasn't you; I have an injury with my arm. I cut it on some glass not too long before we arrived. It's okay."

Another girl spoke before I could introduce myself.

"I'm Elizabeth Braddock, I'm from Merry ole' London as you can tell. I have a twin named Brian who is here as well."

The girl with flaming red hair, who had been quiet on arrival, stood up from her bed and spoke up.

"Cool. I'm Jean Grey. Not much to me, I'm not that special to anyone, I mean my own damn boyfriend decided we were too fucking serious for High school and broke up with me. Well fuck you Logan! I'm doing just fine with you and your annoyingly long fingernails! Excuse me ladies..."

She ran off into the bathroom crying and we all stared a bit shocked.

"Okay, well I'm Darcy Lewis. I'm from Illinois. Glad to have met you all."

I walked over to the bathroom door and knocked on it.

"Jean? Please come out of the bathroom it going to be okay."

"Leave me alone!"

"Look I know dudes can be pricks, but you can't let him ruin your entire trip. This is like an ultimate experience, and you know we have to meet our scientist in five minutes. You deserve to have some fun."

They waited until the door unlocked and Jean came out puffy-eyed.

"You don't know me well enough to say I deserve it."

"Yeah, well any girl that has to deal with an asshole deserves a break."

We all laughed, gathered what we need to take with us and left the room.

*Later*

Our Scientist was Max Eisenhardt, but he hated his name and preferred that he go by Erik or even better Mr. Lehnsherr. He was pretty brilliant if I said so myself, but he was arrogant. I also didn't care for the fact he was a bully, insisting that his work with metal compounds were better than any other scientists there. He even told us we should be lucky to be with him and not Charles Xavier who studied more of the biological sciences but was quite the engineer when need be. I had only been around for half a day and heard he designed and built his wheelchair himself to essentially read his thoughts and be controlled. Our group was mixed with about 30 other boys or girls so I guess I lucked out because Loki's group was with us as well. The first day was spent getting a tour of the facilities by dinner I was ready to go to bed.

"So what do you think of tomorrow's plans?"

"You mean the rocket race? I mean that will be cool, how often do you get the chance to design build a rocket. I'm looking forward to the media technology and science integration seminar."

"You are such a nerd."

"Yeah, but I'm your nerd."

Loki and I laughed.

"I wondered if there was something between you two."

Said Anne as a group of boys sat down at the remaining seats at the table.

"Darcy, these are my roommates Scott and Alex Summers, and Armando Muñoz."

"Nice to meet you. These lovelies are my roommates except the dude. Elizabeth and Brian Braddock, Anne Marie, and Jean Grey. Guys this is my boyfriend Loki Odinson"

Anne looked for a moment then said,

"Odinson...Odinson that name is familiar. Doesn't your family own like a bunch of stuff, like some parks or something?"

"Well...yea my father started off with oil and has parlayed that into many other money making opportunities and businesses. One of them being parks."

"So like you are loaded, why in the hell are you here. You don't have to work for the rest of your life."

Loki who always kept a calm demeanor rubbed my thigh under the table, indicating he was nervous.

"I may not have a need to work, that doesn't mean I don't have a need to use my own brain. Earning something is much better than having it handed to you."

Elizabeth and Brian both nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I mean a lot of people look to us to be like our dad but that's not the case. We are our own people."

Anne started laughing.

"Yeah, I can understand, I'm a bit of a rebel without a cause, I like to go rouge and go for what I want. Regardless of what everyone wants from me. I have an eidetic memory, it's awesome but people are dicks and try to use me for my skills but I'm not for that shit."

I laughed; I liked Anne she seemed to have her own mind and clearly had drive of her own making. She probably didn't let assholes push her around like I did...

*The Next Day*

The rest of the night was mostly uneventful. After dinner we had free time to do what we wanted to do, and so with that being said we hung around talking about back home, and more often than not Loki was being asked questions about awesome his life must be and I was the only one that understood what the sadness that lurked behind his eyes meant...

We started off the day at a breakfast where I picked at it due to the fact that even though it was impossible I expected my father to come tearing through the dining hall telling me I was greedy and fat if I had a full plate of food. My table mates asked me why I didn't eat more, but I politely refuted, saying I wasn't hungry.

We made our way to the labs and once we met with Lehnsherr and his ever present aura of negativity. He told us to divide our larger groups down for the assignment and our dinning groups had been just the right amount minus Brian because he was not in our group, his scientist was Dr. Hank McCoy a man who specialized in bio-engineering. Erik gave us the fuel division of the rocket while the other team worked on manufacturing the rocket. I noticed none of the other teams were divided that way but I didn't focus on it for too long seeing as everything needed to be done by lunch because we had an seminar on the use of Gamma rays in engineering and its current development stages it was supposed to be given by Dr. Bruce Banner who I had seen on T.V, often next to Tony Stark as one of the developers on a new project, needless to say I was a bit excited.

"Ok so Jean and Elizabeth, and Darcy, and Armando you guys seem to get the calculations on this basic formula Lehnsherr handed us the best so you guys want to work on brewing and developing the formula, while Scott, Alex, Loki and I work on creating the proper container for the rocket fuel and proper dispersion. I'm thinking we are going to need to be able to fold our design into the overall model being made; I'll go ask the other side to stay in contact with us about the design. Everyone cool with that?"

"Sure Anne. I'm down."

I said not minding how she made her decision on who should be with which group. My side sat down with the calculations and quickly noted we may be able to increase or bind a certain area of the chemical formula to make it more powerful and last just a tiny stretch longer.

Our group had double checked our idea and said it could be sound. We wanted to test it so Jean and I decided to see if it would work with a smaller amount. We walked over to a work station a pulled out the small amount of chemicals, the utensils, and graduated cylinders we were going to need.

Jean seemed to have the steadiest hands so I measured and prepped while she confirmed our writings then she combined and mixed. I was okay with that, the last thing we needed was for me get a pain in my arm and fuck up the formula.

Jean was dead set on getting it right, but she relaxed about halfway through and once she did our work flowed a bit more smoothly. We were almost done with our test fuel when something must have been off with one of our modifications because our cylinder began to bubble out of control, we screamed, and Jean dropped it in the nearby sink where the pieces began to melt the cylinder and into the sink before some of the scientists ran over neutralizing our mixture. Erik stomped over not pleased at all.

"What in the hell! You two must be the biggest idiots on this earth! How do you melt a sink?! What was so hard about the formula I gave you?"

I looked down at my feet, I just fell into habit, shirking away from his yelling voice, refusing to meet his eye, Jean stood next to me doing the same thing, but she spoke up.

"It was an accident sir; one of our modifications was off."

He picked up our work, looking it over before scoffing.

"These are trash! Use your brains next time and think. These two can never combine unless you are building a bomb! Are you trying to kill everyone you nitwits?!"

"Hey that was un-necessary. There is no need to call them out their names."

Loki spoke up for us, I was grateful even if it didn't help at all.

"Zip it Odinson, I'm sure your father paid your way here anyhow, so you wouldn't have been able to catch their mistake. Now back to you two, I can't believe you would make such a simple mistake, I guess this is why there are more men than women in the science and engineering field, you may as well go back to washing dishes if this is how you make me look! Both of you are worthless..."

"ENOUGH ERIK!"

Professor Xavier came to the front of the crowd, Jean had tears streaming down her face, and we were surrounded by all the other teams as our scientist bashed us. I could feel the tears pricking at the back of my eyelids.

"You have embarrassed these two young ladies for long enough! It was an accident, they are children they are not meant to know everything and yet you yell at them as if this has been a lifelong goal and at a research facility. In fact supervising all the students that work with chemicals is a part of your job description, not hand holding the ones that were only designing the rocket as they hadn't even started building yet. Next time do YOUR job and do not take it out on these learning students."

Erik Lehnsherr did not show weakness only glared at Professor Xavier before storming out of the lab. Jean wiped at the counter aggressively, while everyone went back about their business. Professor Xavier called all of us over to him.

"Seeing as your supervising scientist has bailed ship so to speak I will be doing my best to watch over both groups, should you have any questions please ask me and I will do my best to answer. As for those of you working on the fuel for your rocket, I understand this is a very tricky assignment, so before you begin another test phase please run it by either myself or another lead scientist so that we can assure that (He nodded at the sink with a smile) doesn't happen again."

His kind smile and warm demeanor helped calm me a lot but as Jean stayed silent during the cleaning process I looked over at Loki who had a permanent frown or grimace etched across his face I could tell his mood had gone from steady to downhill quicker than I could care to stop it. I walked over to the group and pulled him away into a hallway. He spoke before I could open my mouth.

"Are you okay Darcy?"

I gave him a shallow smile, pushing my glasses higher on my face, to hide the tears in the corners.

"I am fine. I've...ha...I've gotten used to being talked down to. I have had worse said to me."

Loki tucked his hand under my chin, lifting it to look him in the eyes.

"Darcy, you are one of the most intelligent, brightest, sexiest, strongest women I have ever known. Do not take what that limp dicked, jack off said to heart."

"As long as you promise to do the same I will too."

"Meaning?"

"Come on Loki, love I have been privy to the infamous Loki displeasure grimace since I met your broody ass in middle school. I can tell when you are pissed, and what Lehnsherr said pissed you off, but like you said he is a dickwad, who I'm sure hasn't gotten laid since Reagan was in office. You and I both know your brain got you here and nothing else."

Loki grimace turned into a smirk as he kissed me on the lips again. I spoke one more time.

"Besides, I'm sure Erik only went off on me because he can't grow this awesome rack to go with that brilliant display of bitchassness he just gave us. Now come on we've got a team to show we deserve to be here."

Loki kissed my cheek, and led us back into the room...

The rest of the day for Jean and I consisted of insults by other teens from various groups who thought they were smarter because apparently they knew how to build a bomb. I mean I had no need to retain bomb making so I really didn't feel too bad about what some hormone filled adolescents had to say because I wouldn't ever see them again after this week. Jean was holding a strong front but I knew she wasn't handling the ridicule as well as I was and I made sure she wasn't alone after Raven (a girl who had issues with not being on Erik's team from the get go and tried to get us to switch rooms) caught her alone in the bathroom. Mean didn't tell me what was said but she came back crying and refusing to speak to any of us.

It wasn't until I heard a screech at 1am did I realize I should have made her talk...

Loki's Pov

My father was being extra rough with me this past week and I was sure it had something to do with the fact that I would be gone for a week, far enough away where he couldn't torture me. Another issue was that I was feeling like the cause of our parents marital woes. I mean I had never seen mother so sad and every time she looked at me she looked even sadder even laugh she tried to hide it. I had even asked her during a lunch outing with just her and me if she was okay, she said she was fine. I could not push the issue any further but the physical and emotional toll this week was taking was kicking my ass repeatedly and I was counting down to the reprieve. I should have known Darcy would notice something was wrong. I never told her when I was assaulted or how often, I think she knew better than to ask me. She waited until I took her to dinner on our weekly Saturday outing before she asked me.

"Loki what is wrong?"

I smiled, knowing it was dishonest, and while I felt bad I couldn't let her know my full hell. She had enough on her plate, I wouldn't add my shit.

"Nothing how is your food?"

I should have known she wouldn't let it go. Once Darcy caught a whiff of an issue she didn't back off until it was solved.

"It is fine, but you're not. Please talk to me."

"Darcy I just said I'm fine. Now let's finish our food."

I snapped, shutting her down before she could continue down that slippery soap that was my life. It was bad enough I couldn't protect her from her father yet, but I knew I could damn sure protect her from my BS until... Well forever.

"Loki you can't do that to me."

I looked at her eyes glistening under the dim and generic lamps the restaurant had to offer.

"Do what Darcy?"

I played it off, I was good at mirages.

"Act like I'm just some girl off the street. I have eyes and I know something is not right with you. Is it your father again?"

Protect her! My mind screamed at me.

"Don't speak on that. Now stop your crying and eat your food."

"You want to act like a dick then fine, be a dick, but I won't stay around and let you do that to me. I've had enough abuse from my father; I can't take it from you too."

She stood up, snatching her purse up from the booth, and tossing it on her shoulder. I didn't want her to go, but maybe she would be better off without me.

"You want to walk away from me too. Fine leave, I knew you were no better than the rest."

If her eyes could kill, I would have died ten times over by now.

"Don't try and act like I haven't been trying to be there for you Loki. I love you and I know something is bothering you. I'm asking you what it is because I can't stand seeing you in so much discord with yourself."

I sighed, I could try to lie to myself and say I was okay with her walking out the door, but I wasn't. I also knew that the control she lacked at home, she made up in her personal life, and as much as she cared she would also hurt worse by shutting me out from her life. I couldn't do that to her, I was the weak one in our relationship. I needed her.

"Just talk to me."

"My parents are fighting, and I'm sure it's my fault."

I sugar coated the worst of my week, leaving my bad mood to be explained by relationship problems that weren't even my own, which was partially true but wasn't the total blame.

"Why would you think that?"

"I overheard them a month ago talking about me, rather they were arguing about me. They haven't had a conversation that wasn't tense and cold since."

"What were they saying when you overheard them?"

"My mom was saying there was something I should know and my father was not going for it. He shut her down."

"And you haven't found what it is you should know?"

She took her hand and grabbed mine, not resisting the temptation to rubbed tiny circles in the back of my hand, a tell-tale sign of her nervousness.

"No, I have no idea. I have done everything I could to figure out what it could be and I can't."

That was the true; I had tried asking all of our house help, Thor. I tried gaming it out if my mother's friends but they either wouldn't tell (which told me it was a rather old secret) or they didn't know at all. It was a frustrating waste of breath. I

"I can't tell you what is going on with them, but I wouldn't worry too much about it, they probably want to tell you something that seems like a big deal to them, but it will be something you won't give two shits about in the end. So just get excited about this trip and I don't want to see any moping for the next two weeks…"

*Two weeks later*

I was ensuring I had everything for my trip when someone knocked on my door.

"Come in" I said to the other person on the other side of my door, while adding a shirt to the bag. My door opened and my mother walked in. She smiled.

"Are you ready to head to the airport?"

"Almost, I was just doing my final run through. We aren't allowed to leave the facility so it won't like I'll be allowed to go get something should I forget it."

"Very true, but if I know anything about Tony Stark or should I say if I know anything about Pepper Pots she will have prepared for such contingencies. Now Thor is going to take you to the airport and you make sure you stay in contact with me while you are away."

I was surprised I thought she was going to the airport with me.

"I was under the impression that you were going to take Darcy and me to the airport."

"Your father has insisted I attend some last minute function with him. I have to stay behind and get ready. I am disappointed myself due the fact that I was looking forward to meeting the young lady who has managed to hold your attention."

"Yes, Darcy was looking forward to meeting you as well."

"I'll tell you what, when you return we will all enjoy dinner together. Sound agreeable?"

"Yes as long as Father doesn't run her off, I believe dinner would be nice."

"Loki, have more faith in your father. He cares about you, and wants to see you happy."

I scoffed. Yeah right he wanted me to be happy. Like hell he did, unless my happiness and his aligned then it didn't matter. I zipped my suitcase and my mother walked over to the intercom asking for someone to come take my suitcase downstairs.

"You'll see someday that he has only done what was best."

She left the room, and I could only shake my head. If she only knew…

Darcy's house*

Thor and Jane seemed overly excited to take us to the airport. I did my best to nod and smile with the parts of story Thor was telling, that had Jane hanging on the edge of the seat. I was more interested in getting away with Darcy, even if it was only for a week. Thor rolled up to the curb in front of Darcy's house. He honked the horn, in which I glared at him for.

"You don't have to honk at her like she's a side show. I am going to go retrieve her from the door, and help her with her bags like our mother raised us to do.

"Darcy!"

Darcy came out the house and looked at the car. I got out of the car, moving to meet her halfway and helping her in the car. I noticed her face was wet and red all the way down to the neckline of her blue shirt.

"What is wrong? Did something happen?"

I was worried, she didn't have any outward bruised, but if he had just hurt her then Thor and I would go in and kick his ass.

"I'm fine Loki, let's go."

She pulled away from me, when I tried to stop her from getting in the car. I realized I may have scared her, so I let her go.

"You are not fine. Stop bullshitting me and tell me what happened?"

"It's just the usual with my dad. Let's just get as far away as we can."

"It won't be forever Love."

I pulled her into my arms, wishing I was strong enough to protect us both. She wiped her eyes and I helped her into the car.

"Hey Jane, Thor! I didn't know you guys were taking us to the Airport."

She sounded completely fine, it saddened me to see how quickly and easily she changed her roles from upset to seaming my absolutely fine.

"Our parents had an engagement that they couldn't miss. Thor offered to take us."

"Cool. Thanks Thor!"

I touched her knee as a show of solidarity.

*Stark Industries*

"My name is Pepper Potts CFO of Stark Industries. We are so very excited to have the brightest young minds and the future of engineers of tomorrow here with us as a part of this year's Stark Industries Building a Better world Engineering style or B.a.b.e.s for short."

The large crowd of excited teenagers who were all buzzing with Ms. Potts speech, I remembered meeting her once when I was much younger, but she wasn't in charge, she had just started as Tony Stark's assistant. She had certainly moved up in the world. Darcy had admitted on the flight to California that she sort of idolized the poised company leader. I could be honest in admitting I was only paying half attention to what was being said. When it was time to be separated from the females, I kissed Darcy goodbye and listened with lazy attention for my name to be called. When I heard my name I moved into the room they assigned me. I appraised the room, taking in the appearance of my temporary roommates and adjusted to the fact I hadn't had roommates in well... ever. Two boys who had matching eyes and body types I assumed to be brothers and I was proved correct when they introduced themselves. The oldest spoke first.

"Hey man I'm Scott Summers and this is my brother Alex. We hail from northern Cali, but any excuse to get away from our parents for a week."

The other boy in the room was a tall African-American, with a wide smile.

"I'm Armando Muñoz, an American military brat originally born on a Military base, but we were transferred to South America and now here in Virginia."

The occupants in the room turned expectantly toward me.

"I am Loki Odinson, Illinois."

"Yo' bro pay up I told you that is who he was!"

Alex held his hand out expectantly to his older brother who huffed and slapped a ten into his brother's hand. Scott must have seen the confused look on my face.

"Don't take it to heart man. I didn't honestly think you were an Odinson, but Alex insisted you were, swears he saw your family in one of his magazines. Your brother Thor is like his man crush! I'm sure he'd marry your brother."

Alex whacked his brother in the face with a pillow.

"Oh zip it, you dipwad! Headass, you know damn well you want him."

I found the brotherly relationship refreshing, seeing as Thor was more than not busy with something, and seeing as my interest in sports was little we did not spend as much time together anymore.

"Well hate to break your hearts but at last check my brother is straight."

We all laughed and Scott spoke up first.

"Well good we are too, but your bro is like the number one high school player. His stats are fucking insane, hey do you know which college he's chosen yet?"

"What are you two reporters?"

"Nope, just die hards."

"Well die hards take comfort in knowing he has not picked one."

Armando looked deep in thought.

"Hey your last name is familiar."

"Before you waste your brain trying to figure it out, my family owns a lot of things oil being our top profit, followed by various business investments, stocks and bonds, parks and we sit on quite a few boards for other companies.

"So that why, well nice to meet you Loki"

"Likewise Armando"

"Please call me Darwin, that name is dated as hell"

*Dinner

I noticed that Darcy wasn't much of an eater, and picked with the food on her plate. She still hadn't told me what happened before we left for the airport, but I hated to see her tears. It made me more determined to get us away from our families and never have to look back. I tried distracting her from the thoughts in her head and began a conversation with her separate from the group of girls who I assumed were her roommates.

"So what do you think of tomorrow's plans?"

"You mean the rocket race? I mean that will be cool, how often do you get the chance to design build a rocket. I'm looking forward to the media technology and science integration seminar."

"You are such a nerd."

"Yeah, but I'm your nerd." We both laughed at her corny play on words and I was tempted to kiss her again, but I wanted her for myself, I needed no other man lusting over her. I didn't even want anyone knowing what her face looked like when she kissed.

"I wondered if there was something between you two."

A girl with dark hair and a white bang said sitting down with the boys from my room behind me coming to sit at our table.

"Darcy, these are my roommates Scott and Alex Summers, and Armando Muñoz."

"Nice to meet you. These lovelies are my roommates except the dude. Elizabeth and Brian Braddock, Anne Marie, and Jean Grey. Guys this is my boyfriend Loki Odinson"

Anne looked at me, eyes doing their best to place my face. It was inevitable that she recognized me. It only took her few moments before she said,

"Odinson...Odinson that name is familiar. Doesn't your family own like a bunch of stuff, like some parks or something?"

"Well...yea my father started off with oil and has parlayed that into many other money making opportunities and businesses. One of them being parks."

"So like you are loaded, why in the hell are you here? You don't have to work for the rest of your life."

I hated that question. People always asked me when I was seen doing something that wasn't in the Odinson family mold. The question caused flashes of Odin to flash behind my eyes and the memory of him to destroy my mood. I put my hand on Darcy's leg and she placed a hand on top of mine under the table.

"I may not have a need to work, that doesn't mean I don't have a need to use my own brain. Earning something is much better than having it handed to you."

"Yeah, I mean a lot of people look to us to be like our dad but that's not the case. We are our own people."

Anne started laughing, thankfully not at me, and continued on with her story.

"Yeah, I can understand, I'm a bit of a rebel without a cause, I like to go rouge and go for what I want. Regardless of what everyone wants from me. I have an eidetic memory, it's awesome but people are dicks and try to use me for my skills but I'm not for that shit."

Anne was refreshing; she seemed to have her own mind and clearly had tough skin.

After Dinner the group hung out talk about our home life and comparing them. They all had questions about my life and despite the continuously sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach; I answered the questions as smoothly as possibly. I was always good at pretending everything was okay…

*The Next Day

Today was the build the rocket competition. To be straightforward I was mildly excited, I mean Darcy was into it, but I was along for the ride. Anne spoke first taking the lead in diving up our group into fractions after our Scientist had taken whom he clearly decided were his prized pupils to the other group to work on the design for the rocket while leaving us to work on the fuel. To be honest he hadn't been working with the fuel group, which was more important than a shell.

"Ok so Jean and Elizabeth, and Darcy, and Armando you guys seem to get the calculations on this basic formula Lehnsherr handed us the best so you guys want to work on brewing and developing the formula, while Scott, Alex, Loki and I work on creating the proper container for the rocket fuel and proper dispersion. I'm thinking we are going to need to be able to fold our design into the overall model being made; I'll go ask the other side to stay in contact with us about the design. Everyone cool with that?"

"Sure Anne. I'm down."

Darcy said with a smile and moved with a girl from her room with red hair that I had forgotten that quickly. I watched her as she smiled working on her portion of the project. She was focused, and the improvement seemed like it worked until something went wrong and the fuel mixture began to sizzle, and bubble over. It caused Erik to begin going off on Darcy and her friend.

"What in the hell! You two must be the biggest idiots on this earth! How do you melt a sink?! What was so hard about the formula I gave you?"

Her friend spoke up first.

"It was an accident sir; one of our modifications was off."

He picked up the equation from the table and almost ripped it in half.

"These are trash! Use your brains next time and think. These two can never combine unless you are building a bomb! Are you trying to kill everyone you nitwits?!"

My temper flared and I stepped forward. Darcy was far from stupid or any of its like terms. None of us realized that we were off in the calculations.

"Hey that was un-necessary. There is no need to call them out their names."

"Zip it Odinson, I'm sure your father paid your way here anyhow, so you wouldn't have been able to catch their mistake. Now back to you two, I can't believe you would make such a simple mistake, I guess this is why there are more men than women in the science and engineering field, you may as well go back to washing dishes if this is how you make me look! Both of you are worthless..."

I felt my face getting hot, and Darcy looked at me with tears in her eyes. I flashed back to all the times my father had told me the same thing.

"ENOUGH ERIK!"

Professor Xavier came to the front, yelling at Erik to stop yelling at Darcy and her friend. I was grateful. The other girl was already in tears and Darcy didn't look like she would hold up much longer.

"You have embarrassed these two young ladies for long enough! It was an accident, they are children they are not meant to know everything and yet you yell at them as if this has been a lifelong goal and at a research facility. In fact supervising all the students that work with chemicals is a part of your job description, not hand holding the ones that were only designing the rocket as they hadn't even started building yet. Next time do YOUR job and do not take it out on these learning students."

Erik Lehnsherr did not show weakness only glared at Professor Xavier before storming out of the lab. The other girl wiped the mess up and Darcy helped pick up some of the bigger pieces of glass, while everyone went back about their business. Professor Xavier called the entirety of the group closer to him.

"Seeing as your supervising scientist has bailed ship so to speak I will be doing my best to watch over both groups, should you have any questions please ask me and I will do my best to answer. As for those of you working on the fuel for your rocket, I understand this is a very tricky assignment, so before you begin another test phase please run it by either myself or another lead scientist so that we can assure that (He nodded at the sink with a smile) doesn't happen again."

He reassured us it would be okay, but I still felt like crap. Darcy came over to me and grabbed my arm, pulling me into a hallway. I spoke before she could ask me any questions, her mental well-being was more important than mine.

"Are you okay Darcy?"

She gave me a fake, shallow smile that did not reach the corners of her eyes like I knew it could. Her blue eyes were watery and could spill over at any given moment.

"I am fine. I've...ha...I've gotten used to being talked down to. I have had worse said to me."

I tilted her chin up to stare me directly in my eyes.

"Darcy, you are one of the most intelligent, brightest, sexiest, strongest women I have ever known. Do not take what that limp dicked, jack off said to heart."

"As long as you promise to do the same I will too."

"Meaning?"

I pretended I was okay. I was good at that.

"Come on Loki, love I have been privy to the infamous Loki displeasure grimace since I met your broody ass in middle school. I can tell when you are pissed, and what Lehnsherr said pissed you off, but like you said he is a dickwad, who I'm sure hasn't gotten laid since Reagan was in office. You and I both know your brain got you here and nothing else."

I kissed her lips, their softness reminding me what I would fight for every time something stood in our way.

"Besides, I'm sure Erik only went off on me because he can't grow this awesome rack to go with that brilliant display of bitchassness he just gave us. Now come on we've got a team to show we deserve to be here."

We went back into the lab and while our team the rest of the experiment was uneventful.

Darcy had endured worse than the name calling and petty teasing at our own school rather than what was being said for the remainder of the day about the rocket fuel experiment earlier. Darcy was strong enough to let it roll off her back, I wished than she hadn't had to build up the thick skin...


End file.
